(Portland, OR) June 7, 2021 – Medical Teams International, a Pacific Northwest-based global health and humanitarian organization, is pleased to announce that the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has awarded it $650,000 to expand and support its new Care & Connect approach to care.

The funding will help build capacity for Medical Teams’ comprehensive work through Care & Connect to provide urgent and restorative dental care as well as medical screenings to those in the Northwest experiencing homelessness or other barriers to accessing dental and medical care.

In 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Medical Teams pivoted its U.S. Programs in order to offer COVID-19 testing. To date, Medical Teams has tested more than 37,000 people in 28 counties across Oregon and Washington. With its current involvement with COVID-19 vaccine distribution, Medical Teams plans to administer vaccines on its regular mobile clinics, including flu vaccines and COVID-19 booster vaccines. The organization also plans to offer diabetes screenings and blood pressure screenings. Through a robust referral system, it will also connect patients to other needs, such as food assistance, housing, behavioral/mental health, and chronic disease management.

“For more than 30 years, Medical Teams has served our neighbors in need with the largest volunteer-powered mobile dental program in the U.S.,” said Martha Newsome, Medical Teams President & CEO. “For many patients, oral health is only one of several conditions they need treated; however, dental pain is often what brings people into care. With Care & Connect, we’re expanding services and referrals, viewing every encounter more holistically, and improving our coordination with the healthcare safety net system. This work is only possible through the generosity and shared vision of partners like the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.”

“We are so grateful for organizations like Medical Teams International that leverage technology and innovation to develop programs and services that help provide critical care to vulnerable populations,” said Steve Moore, executive director, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. “We have been fortunate to partner with the work of Medical Teams through the years and we are excited to see how their comprehensive mobile services deliver valuable care to a broader population moving forward.”

About Medical Teams International

Founded in 1979, Medical Teams International provides life-saving medical care for people in crisis, such as survivors of natural disasters and refugees. We care for the whole person— physical, emotional, social and spiritual. Daring to love like Jesus, we serve all people—regardless of religion, nationality, sex or race. Learn more at medicalteams.org and on social media using @medicalteams.

About the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants to nonprofit organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington—that seek to strengthen the region’s educational, social, spiritual, and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways. Learn more at murdocktrust.org.

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