The Elton John Aids Foundation (EJAF) has announce that it has awarded $200,000 in emergency funding to two of its grantees in Haiti - Partners in Health (PIH) and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

"We are all shocked and horrified by the unfolding tragedy in Haiti," said EJAF's Founder and Chairman Sir Elton John. "EJAF grantees Partners In Health and the Clinton Health Access Initiative mobilized almost immediately to work together to ensure the continued delivery of HIV medications and provide emergency medical care to their specific patient populations in the wake of this devastating earthquake."

PIH has tremendous existing capacity in Haiti (a network of hospitals and clinics, more than 120 doctors and nearly 500 nurses and nursing assistants), but their supply of resources has been constrained. After evacuating its staff and operations to the Dominican Republic, CHAI has set itself up as a logistical base in that country to move HIV/AIDS medicines and medical/surgical supplies to PIH over land and by air. In addition, PIH has been designated by the World Health Organization to manage one of the few medical centers left standing in Port-au-Prince, the Hopital del'Universite d'Etat d'Haiti. Here again, the two organizations are sharing responsibilities with PIH handling patient triage and medical care and CHAI managing the restoration of medicines, supplies, and basic services, and improving hospital management operations.

EJAF's staff has been communicating regularly with these grantees, and we have been impressed by the manner in which they have handled this crisis, moved quickly to marshal their resources, and stepped in to help their HIV/AIDS patients and take on additional patient load from other HIV/AIDS organizations in the area whose facilities have been destroyed. Given the sudden increase in the scope of their work and the urgent need to move quickly in order to save lives, EJAF's Executive Board mobilized immediately to award two $100,000 emergency grants to each organization.

Sir Elton added, "The greatest need for both organizations at this time is for financial support to keep bringing in the necessary fuel for generators, medical supplies, HIV/AIDS medicines, and logistical needs in the weeks to come. At EJAF, we are proud to support the work of these extraordinary organizations as they battle to save lives during this natural disaster."

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