Our fifth team of RN volunteers, part of the National Nurses United’s Registered Nurse Response Network, is currently in the Philippines to provide medical support for those who continue to be affected by the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. The super typhoon killed over six thousand people, left almost two thousand missing and 4 million either homeless or with damaged homes.

The fifth RNRN team provides care at a medical mission site in Iloilo. They treated almost 700 patients in one day.

RNRN volunteers are providing basic medical care at a city health clinic in Roxas City, which is on the northern end of the island of Panay and was in the direct path of the storm. They also traveled to other sites, including Estancia, to provide medical care in affected areas as part of a medical mission with the Alliance of Healthcare Workers (AHW). At each site there were hundreds of patients lined up waiting to be seen when they arrived, and they have already provided care for over 1,500 people.

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FUTURE EFFORTS: Directly Aid the People of the Philippines

“Now that the world is no longer focused on the devastation in the Philippines, it is even more important that we continue to lend our support,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN, director of RNRN. “We are working closely with our sister organization in the Philippines, the Alliance of Health Workers, to determine the most effective ways that we can be of assistance.” The Alliance of Health Workers and National Nurses United are both members of Global Nurses United, an international network of nurses’ organizations established last summer.

RNRN maintains its commitment to help the people of the Philippines heal and rebuild after this disaster. Our teams provide a continuous assessment of the needs on the ground, and we will work to provide what is most needed. We will continue to send RN volunteers as needed, along with financial donations to AHW to directly support the work being done on the ground.

Our RN volunteers have seen the devastation and the need firsthand. As Diane McClure, RN at Kaiser South Sacramento says: “We are honored to help these grateful people who are in great need. There are many areas that still have no assistance in regards to basic medical care. Many people are without homes or electricity. The recovery effort needs to continue far into the future.”

Patients at the clinic and medical mission repeatedly thanked our RNs for “still being here.” To all of you who have donated and volunteered to help, we thank you for making these efforts possible.

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RNRN, a project of National Nurses United, the nation’s largest organization of RNs, was formed in 2004 in the aftermath of the South Asia tsunami in 2004, when the need for nurses was not being met by traditional disaster relief organizations.  Since that time RNRN has send hundreds of direct-care nurse volunteers to assist following Hurricane Katrina, the massive earthquake in Haiti, and Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.

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Thank you,

Bonnie Castillo, RN
Director, Registered Nurse Response Network
Registered Nurse Response Network
2000 Franklin St.
Oakland, CA 94612