Sharing Surplus / Saving Lives
By Kimberlee Love, Director of Development & Strategic Partnerships, Global Links
Global Links is a Pittsburgh-based non-profit dedicated to improving health in communities with need. Since 1989, Global Links has been working to improve health for vulnerable populations by sharing surplus rescued from the US healthcare system and others to support health programs globally and locally. In 2023 we rescued more than 260 tons of high quality medical surplus and furnishings, keeping them from being discarded.
SPOTLIGHT ON – MEDICAL SURPLUS RECOVERY:
Our Medical Surplus Recovery Program provides a socially and environmentally responsible alternative to discarding surplus medical supplies and furnishings, a strategy supporting the “Circular Economy,” and rescuing an average of 250 tons of high-quality surplus materials in a typical year. Surplus comes to us from hospitals, of course, but also doctors’ offices, senior care facilities, universities, and the business community – as well as from the public.
High quality medical supplies, furnishings, and equipment rescued locally help clinicians in communities with need in our partner countries to provide quality health care for their patients. Dorm beds from local universities are repurposed as places for women to rest while awaiting an attended birth, or while recovering afterwards. Office furnishings from the business community are put to work in health care clinic offices or waiting areas.
Closer to home, we are leading the effort to increase the rescue of surplus home medical equipment in our region, so that our neighbors have access to needed items they might not be able to afford. Equipment can include walkers, shower benches, rollators and manual wheelchairs. We support our Community Partner organizations by providing these supplies and equipment that are essential to the communities and people they serve.
SPOTLIGHT ON – VOLUNTEER SERVICE:
Global Links values people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to help make a meaningful contribution and have an impact. Our Volunteer Center is a vibrant and active center and our volunteer shifts are in increasing demand from corporate groups, individuals and groups with special needs, students, young professionals, as well as those looking to make a difference after retirement or the loss of a loved one.
One of our volunteers, John, recently shared, “When I retired from a long career in anesthesiology and moved to Pittsburgh with my wife…I found my dream activity with Global Links. I repackage items that are donated to Global Links in quantities too big to send to one individual country… Many of them [other volunteers] are also retired from healthcare and are volunteering for the same reasons I am…I have found my perfect retirement activity.”
One of our more unique volunteer opportunities is with our Wheelchair Wranglers. In our Wheelchair Wrangler Den, volunteers assess, clean, and repair donated wheelchairs, readying them to help our neighbors to live with mobility and dignity.
SPOTLIGHT ON – PERSONAL CARE KITS:
Personal hygiene represents a foundational component of health, yet federal, state, and local government programs assisting low-income families, including SNAP (food stamps) and WIC, exclude personal hygiene products, making them a cash purchase. Global Links’ Personal Care Kits initiative focuses on supporting the people our Community Partner organizations serve with kits that contain toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss, soap, shampoo, deodorant and lotion. These products are key to general health, employability, personal dignity, and well-being.
Global Links appreciates the ACMS Foundation and others for their support of our Personal Care Kit initiative through our Community Partners.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- Volunteer: Your time is powerful. Volunteers of all ages and abilities sort, assess, and prepare the medical materials used in our programs, turning our region’s surplus into life-saving and life-improving donations. Whether you prefer to sort and pack supplies or help out in the Wheelchair Wrangler den, you can register on our website here, or email [email protected] for more information.
- Pack Personal Care Kits: We invite you to purchase and pack kits as an individual, a family, or with your church or community group. Simple instructions are available on our website here.
- Share surplus medical supplies or furnishings with us: If you know of a healthcare facility, university, or member of the business community with materials to spare, reach out to us. If you have home medical supplies or mobility equipment to share, you can access our list of accepted items here. Note that we have a 24/7 drop off donation location in the parking lot just past our building at 700 Trumbull Drive in Green Tree, zip 15205.
- Join one of our monthly Second Tuesday Tours: Come and learn about all the ways Global Links works to improve health right here in our community, and around the world.
- Request a speaker: Looking for an inspiring speaker for your next event or conference? We’re happy to share the story of how a Pittsburgh nonprofit, founded in 1989 by three women, rescues more than 250 tons of medical surplus each year, improving health for nearly 2 million people, locally and globally.