Throughout the past year the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of global support and global action in helping clinicians and patients around the world navigate the devastating impacts of the virus. As the latest surges continue to overwhelm countries, particularly India, the ACC remains committed to helping our members, partner societies and hospitals and health systems worldwide who are working tirelessly on the front lines despite dwindling resources and seemingly overwhelming odds.

To that end, the College is proud to support Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization that responds to people affected by poverty or disaster with life-changing medicine, medical supplies and health programs. Americares' Emergency Programs help communities respond to and recover from disasters and provide millions of people around the world with access to medicine and supplies.

In India alone, where the current surge of COVID-19 cases in South Asia originated, Americares is supporting 50 dedicated COVID-19 treatment facilities with life-saving medical equipment including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, as well as 940,000 units of desperately needed personal protective equipment. They have also fully outfitted and equipped a 30-bed ICU for COVID-19 patients in Mumbai.

As countries in South Asia, the Americas and Africa continue in the battle to quell the inexorable spread that is taking thousands of lives every day and stretching the capacities of health systems to the brink, we are proud to tangibly support the work of Americares by seeding a gift of $25,000. The ACC benefited greatly early in the pandemic from the crucial insights from our partners across Asia and Europe whose front-line experience provided pivotal guidance that ACC was able to adapt for its members around the world. As a global organization, the College is proud to lead its worldwide network for 54,000 members in paying this forward and providing lifesaving resources to clinicians and patients in India and other countries where the pandemic continues to ravage communities.

We are asking members to assist the College in supporting Americares with a gift of your own. You can choose to help Americares' COVID-19 work on-the-ground directly in India through the India Fund, or provide support to patients and clinicians wherever it's needed most through the Resilience Fund. This work is critical and aligns with the College's Vision for a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. ACC members interested in learning more about Americares and helping the ACC reach its goal of providing at least $100,000 in support of efforts in India and elsewhere around the world can go to Americares.org/ACC.

We started this journey together and we will get through it together. Thank you in advance for your support and your ongoing commitment to the College, your patients, your communities and to each other.

Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC
ACC President

Clinical Topics: COVID-19 Hub

Keywords: ACC International, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2

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