Sharing can make a world of difference!

www.medshare.org

MedShare International has a dual mission of providing humanitarian medical aid to economically developing countries and of helping to improve our local environment. Since 1998, MedShare has shipped over $50 million worth of surplus medical supplies and equipment to hospitals and clinics around the world while saving over a million cubic feet of landfill space.

Dreaming of a Green New Year

by Nancy Koziol

MedShare's mission is to bridge the gap between surplus medical equipment in the United States and the need that exists abroad, but we also strive to make a positive impact on the environment.

Until recently, the positive environmental impact was based on the notion that if surplus medical supplies and equipment were recycled and delivered to locations where they were in great demand, it would save landfill space in the U.S. and also reduce the need for additional equipment to be manufactured for the medical systems in developing countries.

To prove the positive environmental impact of its mission, MedShare commissioned an environmental impact study with the help of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Under the leadership of Georgia Tech professor Dr. Terry Blum, five doctoral and masters students, including Mita Das, Hugo De Blauwe, Manuel De Gracia, Ryan Langdale, and Mariam Jeroudi. This multi-disciplinary and multi-national team conducted a top-to-bottom analysis of the MedShare operations, focusing specifically on the net environmental impact. They evaluated every stage of the supply chain, including collection, facility (storage and sorting), and shipping, as well as the net impact of delivering the items to the recipients.

The results of their analysis show MedShare's operations are having a substantially positive impact on our environment. To summarize the results, MedShare's 2007 Environmental Impact Scorecard shows that they saved 534,730 lbs of CO2, which is equal to more than 553,000 miles driven. And it saved 1.8 million kilowatt hours, which is equal to 150 U.S. households' annual electric bills or more than 865,000 miles driven.

A special thanks to Dr. Blum, the team, and the Georgia Institute of Technology for their in-depth study and analysis.

Shipment Update

During the month of December, MedShare shipped containers filled with vital medical supplies and equipment to healthcare institutions in different countries. The recipients were:

• Costa Rica
  Fundacion Progreso Guanacaste
• Honduras
  CURE International
• Tanzania
  Iringa Hospital
• Honduras
  Enlace Foundation
• Uganda
  Rubindi Community Hospital
• El Salvador
  Hospital Jose Molina Martinez
• El Salvador
  Hospital de Ninos Benjamin Bloom
• Nigeria
  Delta State Ministry of Health
• Guatemala
  CEPREDENAC
• Ecuador
  Latin Steps Services (MedShare West)

For more information and ways to support MedShare International,
please visit www.medshare.org or call 770-323-5858.