Helmsley Charitable Trust Grants $1.3 Million to Support Recovery and Resilience for Puerto Rico's Underserved Healthcare Centers
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announced new funding to The Solar Foundation and Direct Relief to ensure continuous access to healthcare for communities in Puerto Rico devastated by Hurricane Maria.
Since the hurricane, Puerto Rico's electrical grid has faced a power crisis, significantly affecting critical healthcare centers and hospitals. Remote areas are hardest hit by unreliable power, including unexpected outages. Two new Helmsley grants will help healthcare centers in these underserved communities continue to provide essential health services during outages, as well as prepare for future disasters.
"Months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico's lack of power has meant a lack of life-saving medical care. These grants are critical to building health infrastructure that can last," says Stephanie Cuskley, CEO of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. "The Solar Foundation and Direct Relief share Helmsley's commitment to supporting Puerto Rico's recovery and resilience to ensure continued access to healthcare for those who need it the most."
A new grant to The Solar Foundation will support their Solar Saves Lives (SSL) initiative, which has partnered with major humanitarian relief organizations to install solar and battery storage equipment on healthcare centers across the island, bringing reliable, clean power to medical clinics. SSL, in partnership with the Puerto Rico Primary Care Association Network (PRPCAN), has identified several dozen priority health clinics for solarization, and Helmsley support will pay for installation at six of them.