MedShare International and Kimberly-Clark Deliver Medical Supplies to Latin American Hospitals
Every day, men, women and children in less developed countries go without medical treatment from clinics and hospitals because the facilities do not have necessary basic supplies such as syringes, ventilators, beds, lab equipment and bandages. Meanwhile, hospitals in the U.S. throw away hundreds of millions of dollars worth of surplus medical supplies each year, filling landfills with tons of useable materials.
To get supplies to those in need, Kimberly-Clark has teamed with MedShare International, a non-profit organization headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., that is dedicated to supplying medical equipment to economically developing countries.
K-C´s Ricardo Rubio, Operations Support Director for LAO, helped found the K-C/MedShare International partnership. |
The K-C/MedShare partnership began in 1999. K-C´s Ricardo Rubio, then Central America Managing Director and a native of El Salvador, invited Dr. Jim Quayle (vice president of Medical Affairs at the time), to tour an El Salvadorean hospital. His wife, Maria del Carmen Rubio, was actively involved with the hospital through “Patronato,” a program that helps support public hospitals in El Salvador.
“The Rubios asked if I could help locate equipment and medical supplies and make them available to other hospitals in Latin America,” recalls Dr. Quayle. “Soon after, we found MedShare to be a very good fit to fill this great need, and our partnership with MedShare grew from there.”
Recently, Kimberly-Clark extended its ten-year commitment to MedShare by sponsoring an additional 36 shipments of medical supplies to hospitals in K-C’s Latin American hometown communities over the next four years. |
Supplies delivered by MedShare have made a difference in millions of people’s lives: obstetric supplies have helped increase maternal and infant survival rates; surgical supplies have saved lives and improved people’s health; and beds have increased the number of patients that clinics and hospitals can treat.
"Kimberly-Clark has supported our mission of bridging the gap between surplus and need to improve healthcare and the environment. By sponsoring shipments, encouraging employee volunteers and holding a leadership position on our Board of Trustees, they are helping us make a difference,” said A.B. Short, CEO and co-founder of MedShare International.
| Kimberly-Clark retirees volunteer to help sort materials and pack containers of needed medical supplies. |
Throughout its decade-long relationship with MedShare, Kimberly-Clark has sponsored 47 shipments of products valued at more than $6.2 million to more than 25 different hospitals in nine countries. In addition to corporate support, Kimberly-Clark employees and retirees in the Atlanta area regularly volunteer their time to sort through materials and pack containers of medical supplies. Since 2002, these Kimberly-Clark volunteers have donated over 1,245 hours of their time. As an example, in October 2008, volunteers helped prepare a shipment of needed supplies such as examination gloves, syringes and surgical instruments that went to a hospital in Guatemala.
Although hospitals have donated excess medical supplies to developing countries, those donated supplies don’t always match the needs of receiving hospitals. A key element about MedShare is that it ensures that physicians and hospitals get precisely the supplies they need to treat patients and help save lives. Each container shipped by MedShare is customized by hospitals through MedShare’s Web-based inventory system to ensure that all supplies are needed and therefore are used.
"MedShare's pledge to address crucial healthcare and sustainability issues matches Kimberly-Clark's commitment to deliver the best clinical solutions in hospitals around the world," said Joanne Bauer, president of Kimberly-Clark's Health Care sector and member of the MedShare Board of Trustees. "Our relationship with MedShare is a key step in ensuring all patients have the right equipment for their needs."
Since it’s inception in 1998, MedShare has provided more than $25 million worth of life-saving supplies and equipment to 87 countries. For further information on MedShare, visit www.medshare.org.
