Team Rubicon Announces Expansion of International Division to Serve Global Humanitarian Needs

Veteran-led humanitarian organization expanding international medical support and disaster relief efforts 

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran-led humanitarian organization Team Rubicon (TR) announces an expanded global focus through significant investments in International Programs on World Humanitarian Day, August 19, 2022. Specifically, Team Rubicon is increasing team capacity and expanding service partnerships and safely providing additional programs such as international medical support and training, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and crisis innovation.

Team Rubicon has consistently grown partnerships with local communities in over 30 countries since 2010. The organization started when the founding members mobilized immediately after the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake in January 2010, followed by the earthquake in Chile in February 2010. Since then, volunteer doctors and crisis managers have worked with local community leaders to address rapid onset disasters such as the 2019 dual cyclones in Mozambique, infectious disease outbreaks, dengue fever in the Marshall Islands in 2020 and COVID-19 in Mongolia in 2021, in addition to humanitarian crises, such as the Syrian Refugee Crisis in 2016 and the Ukraine war in 2022.

With the support of Team Rubicon's partners, Under Armour and 1P.org, who have collectively committed over $3.5 million, the organization will further expand international reach. Thanks to the generous donations, members of Team Rubicon will deploy to serve vulnerable populations across the globe utilizing the generous donations and extensive relationships provided by these founding partners to make the greatest impact. They will be fitted in Under Armour, the official uniform of the organization.

Art delaCruz, CEO of Team Rubicon, stated, "Team Rubicon is proud to have Under Armour and 1P.org as the key partners of our International Team. Their early investment will fuel the expansion of the organization's international services and enable Team Rubicon to support vulnerable communities across the globe."

delaCruz continued, "Team Rubicon is investing to serve more vulnerable communities worldwide. The recent rapid increase in frequency and intensity of disasters has exacerbated the disproportionate impacts on vulnerable populations around the world." 

Adam Miller, Co-Founder of 1P.org, stated, "Team Rubicon has long been an important strategic partner for 1P.org due to their unwavering support of issues that appear intractable and insurmountable, both locally and globally. We have great admiration for the work that Team Rubicon does to help vulnerable communities recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. We are incredibly proud to support Team Rubicon and expand its impact to help even more people globally."

Flynn Burch, Director of Global Community Impact at Under Armour stated, "Through Under Armour's Freedom Initiative, we are pleased to work alongside Team Rubicon and be a founding partner of their International Division as we extend our longstanding partnership. At Under Armour, we believe that Team Rubicon is uniquely well positioned to support those in need in the face of global disasters."

Team Rubicon is committed to the UN's Humanitarian Principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence as a WHO Emergency Medical Team Type 1 Mobile unit. The organization remains non-partisan, secular, and mission-focused on upholding the humanitarian principles crucial to disaster and crisis relief.

As a WHO EMT Type 1 Mobile unit, Team Rubicon deploys skilled medical providers trained in emergency and trauma care, maternal and pediatric health, primary care, and knowledge of endemic diseases like in Ukraine and other regions.

Since March, Team Rubicon has worked in coordination with WHO and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to support medical care for the most vulnerable populations in Western Ukraine, and in May began providing medical training to ensure local personnel have the skills needed to respond effectively and efficiently to crises. In August 2022, Team Rubicon is expanding its mission and medical capacity within the Ukrainian healthcare system to reduce potentially preventable morbidity and mortality, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity during this time of war. Training topics include blood transfusion; first aid; field trauma and blast injuries; triage and shock management; point of care ultrasound and treatment of chemical exposures.

Most recently, Team Rubicon provided support in Central America, assisting with medical evacuation training in Honduras in June 2022. In Guatemala, the team supported primary healthcare needs, serving over 4,700 patients from May to August 2022.

About Team Rubicon
Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises. Founded following the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the organization has grown to more than 150,000 volunteers across the United States and has launched over 1,100 operations domestically and internationally. To drive equity across disaster and humanitarian services, Team Rubicon focuses on three areas of impact: disaster services- from mitigation to immediate response to recovery; rebuild services- maintaining the fabric of communities through resilient building methods; and international services- providing emergent and surge medical services, WASH, and disaster risk reduction. Visit www.teamrubiconusa.org for more information.  

Media contact:
Sharon Nieuwenhuis
[email protected]

SOURCE Team Rubicon