MedShare International

Hospitals in Liberia and Sierra Leone will be the first recipients of containers of medical supplies under a five-year partnership between The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation and MedShare International Inc., a non-profit organization based in Lithonia, Ga.

The foundation has committed $400,000 to the partnership and expects that four 40-foot containers of medical supplies and equipment to hospitals will be shipped to Africa by the end of 2004, the foundation’s president, Robert A. Lindsay, announced at MedShare’s headquarters on June 30.

"The foundation is dedicated to providing leadership and assistance on the critical issues that affect the lives and futures of African people," Mr. Lindsay said at a ceremony attended by MedShare’s board members including its chair, Bonnie O’Neill, and its CEO, A.B. Short.

Representatives of the partner hospitals and manufacturers and distributors that provide the supplies and sponsor container shipments also attended the event where Mr. Lindsay was awarded an "Executive in Action Award."

"We are particularly pleased to have Robert Lindsay as MedShare’s first Executive in Action…," said board member Vincent Farley. "Given that one of MedShare’s goals is to facilitate the recycling of as much as possible of the $10 billion in medical supplies currently thrown into American landfills each year and to send them to needy medical facilities throughout the developing world, what better partner to have in this ambitious effort than Coca-Cola, a giant in Africa and a giant in Atlanta."

Also recognized were MedShare’s partners including Atlanta Medical Center, Atlanta Outpatient Surgery Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, C.R. Bard Inc., DeKalb Medical Center, Emory Healthcare, Gwinnett Hospital System, Kimberly-Clark Corp., MEDLINE, North Fulton Regional Hospital, Northside Hospital, Owens & Minor Inc., Piedmont Hospital, Rockdale Medical Center Inc., Saint Joseph’s Health System, HCA-Southeast Division and Cartersville Medical Center.

Founded in 1998, MedShare has shipped more than $16 million worth of life-saving supplies and equipment to 73 countries around the world through container shipments and medical teams. To learn more about MedShare go to www.medshare.org or call (770) 323-5858.

The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation was established in 2001. It is headquartered in Swaziland and manages and funds Coca-Cola’s community initiatives in Africa. The foundation is committing $50 million for community work in Africa over the next few years, focusing on healthcare, education and the environment. To learn more about the foundation, go to www.africacommunity.coca-cola.com

Source: Phil Bolton for GlobalAtlanta