International Medical Corps
Encyclopedia
International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Since its founding, International Medical Corps has delivered over $1 billion worth of assistance to millions of people in more than 50 countries around the world.
From the earthquake in Haiti and the Southeast Asian tsunami to Darfur and Hurricane Katrina, International Medical Corps has responded to nearly every major emergency in the past two decades. Today, International Medical Corps works in more than 25 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan (Darfur), Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
International Medical Corps provides life-saving relief while building self-reliance through programs that focus on education and training. As a result of this approach, approximately 96% of its field-based staff and health professionals are recruited from the local community, helping ensure that the skills stay within the area long after the program has ended.
The emphasis on capacity building through education and training is central to all International Medical Corps programs. Its central program priorities include: emergency response; health capacity building; women’s and children’s health and wellbeing; mental health; and clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. In addition to these priorities, International Medical Corps also runs programs providing nutrition services, economic and agricultural livelihoods support, and prevention, testing, and care for communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis
, and malaria
.
International Medical Corps is also a founding member of the ONE campaign
and part of the Clinton Global Initiative. Ninety-two cents of every dollar goes directly to its field programs – one of the highest fundraising efficiencies in the industry – and International Medical Corps is an A+ rated charity by the American Institute of Philanthropy and a BBB accredited charity.
had been in Afghanistan since 1980..
Simon began making trips to Afghanistan to provide medical assistance directly to civilians, eventually selling his Malibu home to finance a clinic in the battered Kunar River Valley. Eventually, understanding that a few new clinics would not meet the overwhelming health care needs of Afghans, Simon set up a full-time Afghan medical training center in the nearby – and relative security of - the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan.
At the end of one nine-month course, the Afghan medics trained by International Medical Corps were able to diagnose and treat 75-80 percent of the injuries and illnesses they encountered in the field. By 1990, International Medical Corps had graduated more than 200 medics who helped established 57 clinics and 10 hospitals in 18 provinces throughout rural Afghanistan.
International Medical Corps is based in Los Angeles with other offices in Washington, DC, London, and Split, Croatia. They currently employ more than 3,500 employees and thousands of volunteers in more than 25 countries.
Kenya Crisis: International Medical Corps responded to the post-election humanitarian crisis in Kenya by sending mobile clinics to "spontaneous settlements" where displaced people have congregated.
, America's largest coalition of international relief organizations, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
. In 2006, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Aossey non-profit CEO of the year and, in 2007, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities recognized her dedication to her cause with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. She also testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia on the return and resettlement of Iraqi refugees.
Dr. Robert Simon, M.D., together with a group of American volunteer physicians and nurses, founded International Medical Corps in 1984. Simon is a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rush University, Stroger-Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He is also the former Bureau Chief of the Cook County Bureau of Health Services.
From the earthquake in Haiti and the Southeast Asian tsunami to Darfur and Hurricane Katrina, International Medical Corps has responded to nearly every major emergency in the past two decades. Today, International Medical Corps works in more than 25 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan (Darfur), Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mission and Approach
Founded in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization that works to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in under served communities worldwide.International Medical Corps provides life-saving relief while building self-reliance through programs that focus on education and training. As a result of this approach, approximately 96% of its field-based staff and health professionals are recruited from the local community, helping ensure that the skills stay within the area long after the program has ended.
The emphasis on capacity building through education and training is central to all International Medical Corps programs. Its central program priorities include: emergency response; health capacity building; women’s and children’s health and wellbeing; mental health; and clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. In addition to these priorities, International Medical Corps also runs programs providing nutrition services, economic and agricultural livelihoods support, and prevention, testing, and care for communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
International Medical Corps is also a founding member of the ONE campaign
ONE Campaign
The ONE Campaign is an international, nonpartisan, non-profit organization which aims to increase government funding for and effectiveness of international aid programs....
and part of the Clinton Global Initiative. Ninety-two cents of every dollar goes directly to its field programs – one of the highest fundraising efficiencies in the industry – and International Medical Corps is an A+ rated charity by the American Institute of Philanthropy and a BBB accredited charity.
History
International Medical Corps was founded by Dr. Robert Simon, a young emergency-room physician at UCLA Medical Center, who was moved to take action after learning about the plight of the Afghan people as a result of the 1979 Soviet invasion and subsequent occupation. All but 200 of the country’s 1,500 doctors had been executed, imprisoned, or exiled, and relief agencies had been ordered out of the country, worsening the shortage of doctors, although Médecins Sans FrontièresMédecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
had been in Afghanistan since 1980..
Simon began making trips to Afghanistan to provide medical assistance directly to civilians, eventually selling his Malibu home to finance a clinic in the battered Kunar River Valley. Eventually, understanding that a few new clinics would not meet the overwhelming health care needs of Afghans, Simon set up a full-time Afghan medical training center in the nearby – and relative security of - the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan.
At the end of one nine-month course, the Afghan medics trained by International Medical Corps were able to diagnose and treat 75-80 percent of the injuries and illnesses they encountered in the field. By 1990, International Medical Corps had graduated more than 200 medics who helped established 57 clinics and 10 hospitals in 18 provinces throughout rural Afghanistan.
Current operations
Today, International Medical works in more than 25 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, providing relief to populations facing war, conflict, natural disaster, famine, and poverty while also laying the foundation for sustainable development. Its programs are funded from both public and private sources, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), The United Nations, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and AmeriCares. In 2008, International Medical Corps received $94.7 million in support from grants, contributions, and donated medical supplies and services.International Medical Corps is based in Los Angeles with other offices in Washington, DC, London, and Split, Croatia. They currently employ more than 3,500 employees and thousands of volunteers in more than 25 countries.
Responding to Emergencies
Haiti Earthquake: Just 22 hours after the earthquake hit, International Medical Corps was on the ground in Port-au-Prince providing emergency medical care. They are still there offering medical care, training local health workers and building capacity to help the Haitian people return to self-reliance.Kenya Crisis: International Medical Corps responded to the post-election humanitarian crisis in Kenya by sending mobile clinics to "spontaneous settlements" where displaced people have congregated.
Leadership
Nancy Aossey, International Medical Corps’ president and CEO, has led the organization since 1986 and has overseen International Medical Corps’ expansion to include more than 50 countries. Aossey has served as Chairman of the Board of InterActionInteraction
Interaction is a kind of action that occurs as two or more objects have an effect upon one another. The idea of a two-way effect is essential in the concept of interaction, as opposed to a one-way causal effect...
, America's largest coalition of international relief organizations, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. In 2006, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Aossey non-profit CEO of the year and, in 2007, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities recognized her dedication to her cause with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. She also testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia on the return and resettlement of Iraqi refugees.
Dr. Robert Simon, M.D., together with a group of American volunteer physicians and nurses, founded International Medical Corps in 1984. Simon is a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rush University, Stroger-Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He is also the former Bureau Chief of the Cook County Bureau of Health Services.
External links
- International Medical Corps - Official site