Disaster Relief Fund
The AASM Foundation Disaster Relief Fund was established in 2005 through the generous donations of AASM members, industry and the AASM. These funds aid AASM accredited sleep centers that have lost their ability to operate and provide patient care due to devastating damages to their facilities in the wake of local disasters (e.g., fire, floods, hurricanes, tornados, or other natural or environmental disasters).
This invaluable financial assistance offered to affected sleep centers helps to ensure that medical care remains available to their patients, even in times of crisis. Based on AASM members alerting us about the scope and extent of the needs in their local communities and centers, resources can be directed to these areas to aid in recovery of sleep center operations so that local patient care services can resume as quickly as possible.
This AASM Foundation fund is supported by generous donations from AASM members.
Previous Funding Assistance
Disaster Relief Funds were made available to AASM accredited sleep centers during the aftermath of several natural disasters, including:
- August 2005 – Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast states with devastating force, lashing the coast with 140mph winds and producing overwhelming floods. It was one of the most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history.
- January 2010 – A catastrophic earthquake devastated much of Haiti impacting nearly one-third of the country’s total population. Over one million were left homeless in the immediate aftermath and urban areas were left devastated by the earthquake and its aftershocks.
- August – October 2017 – Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria hit several Southern states and Puerto Rico causing deadly flooding and displacing thousands of people from their homes and communities.
- April 2020 – Tornadoes in the Southeastern United States reached wind speeds of 190mph, causing widespread and catastrophic damage to homes and businesses across ten states. The intensity of the storms also led to flooding and caused over 4 million people to lose power.
St. Thomas Sleep Center
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
“On behalf of the St. Thomas Sleep Center, we would like to extend our gratitude to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. As you know, the Virgin Islands sustained catastrophic damage from two Category 5 Hurricanes last September. Functioning as the only AASM accredited sleep center in the Territory, the St. Thomas Sleep Center incurred significant damage when our roof was torn off by 180 mph + winds. Although we are insured, after now more than six months, we have not yet heard from our insurance company. The Academy’s generous assistance has enabled us to begin to rebuild and resume helping the people of the United States Virgin Islands. We are all most appreciative of the support that the Academy has extended to us.”
Adam M. Shapiro, M.D., M.A.S., F.A.C.S.
EENA Comprehensive Neurology & Sleep Center
Boynton Beach, FL
“It is with great gratitude that I write this letter to acknowledge receipt of the disaster relief check. These funds were timely and much needed to help alleviate the financial burden imposed by the effects of hurricane Irma. The funds were used to repair in-lab sleep equipment and computers that were affected either by power surges and/or water damages, pay for IT tech support to retrieve lost data and restoration, and complete emergency repairs of interior damages to the facility. Thank you for the support of the Foundation.”
Staff at EENA
The Center for Pulmonary and Sleep Disorders, PLLC
Chattanooga, TN
“Our sleep facility was destroyed by a tornado in April 2020, resulting in a total loss of the building and equipment. There was also extensive damage to the
surroundings. The funds provided have gone a long way in the ongoing reconstruction.”
Winfred C. Manda, MD, FCCP