MedShare International

K-C News - When it comes to helping those in need, KC [Kimberly-Clark] has once again stepped forward, this time helping hospitals in Latin America obtain urgently-needed medical supplies and equipment.

Kimberly-Clark is extending and strengthening its partnership with Atlanta-based MedShare International, a nonprofit agency that collects and recycles surplus medical supplies and equipment from across the U.S. for distribution to needy healthcare institutions in economically developing countries.

K-C will donate $250,000 over the next five years to sponsor MedShare's shipments of medical supplies and equipment to hospitals in need, focusing on hospitals in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru.

"Lives are being changed throughout Latin America because of MedShare, and Kimberly-Clark is proud to support this outstanding organization's vital mission through employee volunteers and financial assistance," says Robert Abernathy, group president for Developing and Emerging Markets. "Given that K-C has a similar mission - to enhance the health and hygiene of people every day, everywhere - our partnership with MedShare makes perfect sense. It is a reflection of who we are as a corporation.

People, products and cash

K-C has partnered with MedShare since 1999, contributing in three major ways: providing employee and retiree volunteer assistance, donating K-C medical supplies and equipment, and contributing financial support. With the new five-year partnership announcement, K-C has extended its financial commitment to MedShare.

"K-C is a premiere model of corporate partnerships. We hold Kimberly-Clark up as a gold standard on how corporations can be involved on all levels in helping support non-profit organizations," says A.B. Short, MedShare International's co-founder and chief executive officer. "Without the people, products and cash, MedShare would not be able to reach over the oceans to help other countries."

In addition to volunteers, products and cash, K-C has provided logistical support and covered the shipping costs for 15 forty-foot medical containers to Latin America.

"Kimberly-Clark has been immensely helpful in providing logistical support in these impoverished nations where they have operations, and they've helped us overcome obstacles," Short says. "Thanks to K-C, our shipments easily clear customs and get where they are supposed to go."

Meeting the need

The generous financial donations from K-C and other contributors help MedShare cover the overhead expense of running its one and only distribution center in Atlanta, where volunteers gather to collect, sort, evaluate, re-package and load medical supplies and equipment into the shipping containers.

Earlier this month, K-C's financial contribution enabled the shipment of a medical container from MedShare's loading dock to a public hospital in Honduras. The medical supplies and equipment included in this shipment are being used to equip a hospital that primarily will serve children and treat burn patients.

Last year MedShare shipped 53 such containers of equipment to hospitals in need. K-C's ongoing support will help MedShare accomplish its aggressive 2005 goal of shipping 60 forty-foot containers of medical supplies and equipment.

A life-altering tour

The K-C/MedShare partnership began in humbling circumstances in 1999. K-C's Dr. Jim Quayle toured an El Salvadoran hospital, and was astonished to find the facility's basic medical supplies and equipment were sorely lacking.

Dr. Quayle toured that hospital as a guest of Meria del Carmen Rubio (the wife of Ricardo Rubio, operations analysis director for Latin America), who is an active leader of the 'Patranoto,' a group that helps support public hospitals in El Salvador.

"Maria asked if I could help locate more equipment and make medical supplies available to other hospitals in Latin America," recalls Dr. Quayle, who is K-C's vice president of Medical Affairs. "Soon after, we found MedShare to be a very good fit to fill this great need, and our partnership with MedShare grew from there."

A perfect fit

With strong support and encouragement from K-C, the MedShare International has continued to improve the health and well being of people in hospitals globally. The non-profit organization was embraced by K-C employees not only in the United States, but throughout K-C's Latin American operations.

"I'm amazed at how easy it is to get our LAO leaders fired up to help. We call it our 'Buen Vecino,' or Good Neighbor program," says Quayle, who also serves on MedShare's board of Trustees. "MedShare makes sure its shipments leave the U.S. with materials that are sorted, clean, labeled and usable, the way we'd expect to receive something from a supplier. It is an example of treating people with respect and dignity, regardless of their economic circumstances."

Sorting the surplus

MedShare's work also helps U.S. hospitals deal with the serious issue of medical surplus. It's estimated that in the U.S. each year, 2,000 tons of such discarded material is buried in landfills or incinerated, adding to the burden on our environment.

Short says MedShare only ships supplies and equipment that are requested by recipients, ensuring that physicians and hospitals get precisely what they need to treat patients and save their lives. MedShare's web-based system gives hospitals a real-time list of inventory in stock.

"Early on we received some good adivce: 'Don't send surplus that hasn't been requested.' So we decided to give hospitals the power to choose what goes in to each container from our large, online inventory list, and that's what sets our organization apart," Short explains. "We are very mindful that these nations have the fewest resources to dispose of unneeded items, and they appreciate that sensitivity."

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.