New fund will enable MedShare to expedite the shipment of medical supplies and equipment to disaster-affected areas throughout the world
Henry Schein, Inc. recently joined MedShare in Atlanta to announce that it is the first corporate sponsor of MedShare’s newly created Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund will provide MedShare with the funding needed to send shipments of supplies to disaster-affected areas immediately instead of waiting to raise funds in the wake of a specific disaster.
MedShare is a humanitarian aid organisation dedicated to improving healthcare and the environment through the recovery and redistribution of surplus medical supplies and equipment to healthcare facilities in the developing world. Mr. Charles Redding, Chief Executive Officer and President of MedShare, announced the creation of the Disaster Relief Fund and Henry Schein’s $25,000 donation at a ceremony commemorating the ten-year partnership between the two organisations to expand access to care globally.
Mr. Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Henry Schein, presents Mr. Charles Redding, CEO and President of MedShare, with a $25,000 donation to become the first corporate sponsor of MedShare’s newly created Disaster Relief Fund. (PRNewsFoto/Henry Schein, Inc.)
The company’s donation supports the warehousing, packing and shipping of MedShare’s future shipment of medical supplies and biomedical equipment devoted to the next disaster. This shipment will remain on standby, ready to be deployed immediately in response to a future disaster or pandemic event.
“At MedShare, we are uniquely positioned to support healthcare providers in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster and to partner with in-country hospitals and clinics during times of crisis,” Mr. Redding said. “With the Disaster Relief Fund, we will be able to proactively respond with disaster relief instead of waiting until sufficient funds have been raised, allowing us to provide support far more rapidly. We thank Henry Schein for being the Fund’s first corporate supporter, and we look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership with the company for many years to come.”
Henry Schein’s sponsorship of the Disaster Relief Fund is an example of the company’s commitment to the planning, coordination and shipping of vital healthcare supplies in response to disasters around the world. Together with non-government organisations, Henry Schein donates medical and dental supplies to disaster-affected areas, monitors a disaster-relief hotline 24 hours a day and establishes relief funds.
“The quick actions of first responders can mean the difference between life and death in the wake of a natural disaster or during a pandemic event, and this new Disaster Relief Fund will allow MedShare to more rapidly provide medical supplies and equipment to care providers working in disaster-affected areas,” said Mr. Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein. “We at Henry Schein are pleased to be the Fund’s first corporate donor, and we encourage our fellow corporate citizens to consider the impact a donation to MedShare’s Disaster Relief Fund will have on relief efforts throughout the world.”
Since its first donation to MedShare in 2006, Henry Schein has provided more than 437,000 pounds of medical supplies worth approximately $13.4 million to support the organisation’s work with more than 500 health agencies in 82 countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, Nicaragua, Nigeria and Tanzania. Each donation is an initiative of Henry Schein Cares, the company’s global corporate social responsibility programme.
