Over 9,000 lbs of medical supplies and equipment we included on the container, including:
ambu bags
emergency airways
bandages
surgical packs and instruments
needles
syringes
endotracheal tubes
blood pressure monitors
laryngoscopes
sphygmomanometers
an electrosurgical unit
a ventilator
and much more!
These donated items will be distributed by the NGO International Relief And Development (IRD) to local health facilities in the flood-affected districts of Punjab Province. According to www.pakistanfloodresponse.com, “Pakistan’s current flood zone is an area the size of England. The waters stretch the distance from St. Louis to New Orleans, and the disaster currently affects 20.4 million people: more than the combined number of people affected by the 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.”
MedShare is proud to support IRD’s flood relief efforts on the ground in Pakistan with this shipment of medical supplies and equipment. Our sincere thanks to the UPS Foundation for sponsoring this humanitarian project.
The drop of a ball that signals a new year often brings with it reflection, appreciation, and excitement at the prospect of things to come. For MedShare, 2010 was a year of growth and accomplishment, and we’d like to take a moment to share and celebrate our achievements that you helped make possible.
Whether you support MedShare through countless volunteer hours, monetary gifts, product donations, being a community ambassador, or in another way, we want to take a moment to thank you as the MedShare mission cannot be sustained without you.
Infrastructure reorganization saw the expansion of staff in the Western Region and the restructuring of current staff, both of which allowed MedShare to increase efficiency in many areas; one example was being able to respond quickly to the earthquake in Haiti.
Speaking of Haiti, MedShare was able to respond quickly due to our nimbleness, capabilities, and previous working relationship with the Haitian government and hospitals. One year later, MedShare has shipped 28 40-foot containers filled with more than 164 tons of life-saving medical supplies and equipment to Haiti, and supplied 83 medical mission teams with more than 14,000 pounds of medical supplies for treating the sick and injured.
MedShare continued to be supported by a strong Board and expanded its local presence in both the San Francisco Bay Area and Atlanta by growing representation on both Regional Councils, laying the groundwork for the organization to flourish. Each Council took on a leadership role and raised funds to sponsor containers of medical supplies and equipment, one to the Kingdom of Tonga and the other to Mali, two of the most desperate places on Earth. Board and Regional Council members also participated in the MedShare trip to Ghana, where they visited beneficiaries of MedShare containers and saw firsthand how MedShare makes a difference.
One of our main concerns at MedShare is, of course, reducing environmental impact. In addition to redirecting tons of medical supplies from landfills each year, we’ve also made changes to our warehouses in both the Southeast and West this year. Both were outfitted with motion-activated lights, saving each facility from needlessly wasting energy. The West has low-flow toilets, and the Southeast will begin installing solar panels next month.
Our communities recognized us for going green: MedShare was selected the winner in the “Green Giving” category by Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2010 Environmental Awards, and the Western Region was named a Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) winner by the CalRecycle Waste Reduction Award Program.
In December, we exceeded our goal of 10 containers by shipping 14, and closed the calendar year with a total of 101 shipments – a 33% increase over the same period in 2009.
Perhaps one of the most exciting things on the horizon for MedShare in 2011 is our potential for expansion. Now that the economy has stabilized somewhat and MedShare has developed a stronger base of support both nationally and in existing locations, the Board of Trustees and senior staff are looking for other cities in the U.S. where we can expand the MedShare mission. This process is a prudent and thoughtful one that has been led and facilitated by Accenture to help MedShare achieve the highest possible performance and leverage for the resources at our disposal.
Your support is the fuel for the MedShare mission. During a very difficult economic time for our nation and the world, the MedShare mission has grown substantially. It would not happen without YOU. We are so grateful for everything you’ve done, and look forward to sharing the ride with you in 2011.
(This story is an excerpt from our January e-newsletter. To read the entire newsletter – featuring stories MedShare’s trip to Ghana and a volunteer profile on Deborah Printz – click here.)
The one-year anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake was Wednesday, Jan. 12, and CNN.com ran a story on “Five Ways You Can Still Help in Haiti.” MedShare was included in the “Volunteer” section, along with a brief highlight on how we’ve responded thus far to the earthquake. To read more about our ongoing recovery efforts, click here.
In another story about Georgia’s ongoing recovery efforts in Haiti, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution featured MedShare. The story is called, “Georgians help Haiti, finds much needs to be done after quake,” and you can view it here.
Also, this past Saturday, January 8th, was Georgia Governor Deal’s “Day of Service,” an event aimed at bringing people together to give back to their communities across Georgia. MedShare was among the local charities, shelters, missions, food banks, and environmental agencies that was chosen to host volunteers, and we had about 40 volunteers give their time on Saturday. WABE (Atlanta’s NPR station) and GeorgiaHealthNews.com both featured stories on the event. To view photos on the event, you can visit MedShare’s Flickr page here.
What do you think of these articles? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
A walker donated by MedShare gives a young Haitian amputee the ability to walk again
Yesterday, January 12th, 2011, marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquakes in Haiti. To mark the occasion, Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator, created a special section on their website to commemorate the significant outpouring of generosity from donors across America.
MedShare was one of the charities highlighted in the report; below are the questions and answers that appeared highlighting how we’ve served our neighboring country as they continue to recover.
What has your charity done in Haiti?
Thanks to the outpouring of support from donors and volunteers, MedShare has shipped the equivalent of 27 tractor-trailer-sized containers filled with over 154 tons of specifically-requested, life-saving medical supplies and equipment to needy hospitals in Haiti. We have supplied 83 medical mission teams with more than 14,000 pounds of medical supplies for treating the sick and injured in Haiti. We have also sent engineering teams to repair hundreds of pieces of medical equipment damaged by the earthquake and to train technicians from around the country to do the same. More information can be found at www.medshare.org/haiti.
What are the outcomes (immediate results) of your efforts in Haiti?
17 tractor-trailer sized shipments of medical supplies and equipment were sent by MedShare in the first two weeks following the earthquake. An additional 10 containers have been sent to aid in the recovery/rebuilding effort. These supplies and equipment were used by our vetted hospital and in-country charity partners like Partners in Health and Project Medishare to offer free medical services to thousands injured in the earthquake as well as basic services in its aftermath. MedShare’s engineering team travelled to Haiti and fixed hundreds of pieces of damaged equipment and trained technicians throughout the country. Please click on www.medshare.org/haiti for videos chronicling our impact.
Based on your outcomes thus far, has your charity adjusted its course of action to improve the results?
As the relief efforts have moved into a longer term recovery that is not happening as quickly as anyone would want, MedShare has sent teams to Haiti to streamline our already-successful logistics process, conduct a needs assessment at our in-country hospital partners and clinics and expedite customs clearances. The needs for medical supplies and equipment for a longer term recovery differ from those needed in an immediate relief effort. MedShare prides itself on customizing our shipments for the recipient and we take great care to understand their needs with the aim that nothing we sent is diverted or wasted. For more information on our ongoing efforts, click on www.medshare.org/haiti.
Is your charity planning to continue to provide assistance to Haiti in the coming months and years? If so, please explain your plans.
MedShare supported 36 projects in Haiti prior to the earthquake and we plan to continue to work with our in-country hospital and charity partners in the coming months and years. We have developed a good reputation among our partners in Haiti and want to be there for them as long as they need us. Donors can learn more at http://www.medshare.org/haiti. Donors can also click on http://www.medshare.org/shipments where they can view our interactive map of shipments to Haiti over our 11-year history.
What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenges facing the people of Haiti in the years to come? Do you have suggestions for how to address these challenges both via your own organization and through the efforts of others?
Haiti has long been the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and faces many challenges. The greatest needs in Haiti are a better resourced and more effective government, a completely rebuilt infrastructure (this was the case before the earthquake), and access to education, healthcare, and basic needs. In short, for Haiti to be successful in the long-term, a context for private investment and industry development must be created as has been done in other developing nations. MedShare can play a strong role in elevating the standards for medical care through the provision of medical supplies and equipment to support the re-building of the healthcare infrastructure.
Have you been able to coordinate and pool your efforts with other organizations?
MedShare is a supply chain organization providing medical supplies and equipment. Thus, we supply other direct-service organizations, hospitals and clinics in Haiti and around the world who offer healthcare to the poor. Some of our partners in Haiti include:
Partners In Health
St. Damien Pediatric Hospital
St. Nicholas Hospital
Hopital Bienfaisance de Pignon
Port-Au-Prince Triage Hospital
CURE Haiti
Family Outreach Ministries
Archdiocese of Port-Au-Prince
Haitian Timoun Foundation
CSI Ministries Clinic
Hopital Sacre Coeur
Grace Children’s Hospital
Adventist Hospital
Diquini Jimani Hospital (in Dominican Republic on Haitian boarder)
St. Francis de Sales Hospital
Project Medishare
We’d like to give a special thanks to Charity Navigator for highlighting us. To read their report in it’s entirety, click here.
MedShare 