As tens of thousands flee the violence, need for medicines and care escalates (PORTLAND, ORE.—Aug. 18, 2008) Medical Teams International is preparing more than $100,000 in medical supplies to airship to families caught in the conflict between Russia and the former soviet republic of Georgia. The antibiotics, pain relievers and emergency supplies will be airlifted in partnership with Project Hope and the US State Department to help displaced Georgian families. Medical Teams International is also talking with other aid partners in the country to determine security conditions for sending volunteers. This week, the shipment will be trucked from the agency's Tigard, Oregon, distribution center headed to an air base in Virginia. Once on the East Coast, the supplies will be loaded aboard a US State Department's cargo plane headed to Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, at the end of this month. "Families are fleeing the conflict in Georgia for temporary, makeshift shelters," says Joe DiCarlo, director of emergency relief at Medical Teams International. "Without basic medicines—antibiotics for infections and basic supplies to treat the wounded—health conditions can become critical." According to UN reports, hundreds of people have died in the conflict and another 118,000 displaced, including 30,000 who have crossed into Russia for safety. To donate to the Georgia Conflict Relief Fund, please call 1-800-959-8325, give online at our secure Web site: www.medicalteams.org or mail gifts to PO Box 10, Portland, OR 97207. Donations can also be made at any US Bank office.