Destination Countries
Supply Recovery Programs
In addition to the accomplishments of the REMEDY
at Yale recovery program at Yale-New Haven Hospital (pilot program), there has been significant success over the years among the hospitals and groups either requesting our In-service Teaching Packet and modeled after the REMEDY program, or who by other means have initiated an effort to recover open-but-unused surgical/medical supplies for donation to developing nations.
REMEDY tries to follow up on all requests for our Teaching Packet and the progress of those initiatives. Because REMEDY is not a membership organization, however, it can be difficult to get ongoing feedback.
Receiving Charities
Many medical professionals are already involved in volunteer and community projects with which they would like to partner for distribution of medical supplies. We encourage REMEDY programs to look for organizations in their own local areas, both in order to strengthen mutually supportive communities and for logistical ease.
If you are interested in finding a U.S.-based medical charity in your community or that works across the country that will accept your supplies, or want to find an organization that supports medical assistance to a particular country, REMEDY is happy to help.
Need information on receiving charities
Destination Countries
Active REMEDY-based recovery programs are sending supplies through U.S. based charities to over 50 countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa.
REMEDY on the Tsunami Disaster
When a disaster of the magnitude of the Southeast Asia earthquake and tsunami affects the world community, we feel you have the right to know how your contribution is used. To date, REMEDY has made no direct contribution of the relief aid in the affected regions, and for very good reason.
REMEDY has long maintained that the millions of dollars of medical supplies collected by our associated hospitals is best suited for the chronic shortages that affect the developing world. They are not suited for acute relief. A cursory look at the news media photos of the aid rushing to Southeast Asia is very illustrative: palate upon palate of boxes, carefully labeled and inventoried. A coordinated relief effort requires immense organization. Predictability and compatibility are of the utmost importance. When a doctor is working in a disaster area, he or she needs to know exactly what supplies are available and how they must be rationed. The healthcare worker has no use for the heterogeneous and often unpredictable supplies that can be donated through the REMEDY recovery process. There is nowhere to store these supplies until they can be used, and the funds used for shipment are better spent elsewhere. Sending our boxes of supplies to a disaster region, may make us feel good, but likely poses a burden on the recipient.
Perhaps REMEDY is missing an opportunity to request a "disaster-donation" from you, and to receive some media attention, but we believe that this would be misguided, and abusive of your generosity.
So, where will REMEDY, and your contributions fit into the aid during this tragedy? Firstly, there is a high likelihood that REMEDY supplies were already "on-the-ground" prior to the disaster. Several of our associate hospitals in the United States, including the pilot program at Yale New Haven Hospital, contribute to Asia-based healthcare charities. Therefore, consider yourself as being one of the very first contributors! Second, long after the acute events are over, the affected communities will need help. When the eye of the international media has turned to the next tragedy, REMEDY will be here to help those charitable agencies which have a long-term commitment to the region.
Thank you again for your dedication to our work. In return we promise to stand by our mission, and use your dollars in the best way possible.
