Current facts 1/15/10

2:00 p.m.

Haiti situation: Current facts

IMA World Health has an office in Port au Prince, Haiti, and has had since 2000. We have 5 Haitian staff who work in that office.

Three of our HQ staff also are in Port au Prince at this time: Rick Santos, president/CEO; Sarla Chand, vice president of International Programs, and Ann Varghese, Program Officer for Haiti.

We are elated to report that all three were rescued from the rubble at the Montana Hotel last night by a French rescue team. In their words, they are well. They were trapped for an estimated 50 hours.

We understand that they are currently at the US Embassy in P au P. Plans are being developed to bring them home.

We are happy to announce more good news. We were recently able to contact each of our 5 person Haitian staff. All are safe.

We will be providing news and information on our website. The press section and other content will be updated as more news becomes available. We currently have full information on our rescued staff and those not yet accounted for.

IMA will be heavily involved in providing medicines and medical supplies to Haiti. We began making contacts for medicines and supplies soon after the quake, and those efforts continue. The logistics of moving materials to Haiti and distribution in the country are not yet determined, as there are many factors for which we do not yet have information.

We are seeking donations to help provide medicines and supplies. People can donate on our website www.imaworldhealth.org Donations can also be given over the phone or by mail. Our phone and address information are on this sheet.

We will provide further information on our website as we have it.

IMA World Health provides health care services and supplies to vulnerable and marginalized people in the developing world. We are a faith-based organization (FBO) working primarily in the developing world, where an estimated 30 to 70 percent of health care is provided by FBOs. In addition to our headquarters in the US, we have field offices in Tanzania, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Southern Sudan, and Kenya.

IMA World Health has been recognized by Forbes as one of the nation's “20 Most Efficient” charities two years in a row.