Healing People, Healing our Planet: How El Camino Health and MedCycle Network Are Creating a Healthier, Greener California

This Earth Day, we celebrate the powerful connection between environmental stewardship and healthcare equity through MedCycle Network’s partnership with El Camino Health, a nationally recognized, community-rooted hospital system serving Silicon Valley.

A Partnership with Purpose

El Camino Health and MedCycle Network began their work together in late 2024 with a clear, shared goal: redirecting high-quality surplus medical supplies into the hands of those who need them most.

Since then, over 60 pallets of critical supplies—from gloves and gauze to durable medical equipment—have been collected from El Camino’s Mountain View campus. Monthly pickups are now underway, with MedCycle Network collecting and delivering only what local safety-net clinics request, in the quantities they need. It’s a zero-waste model that’s smart, scalable, and deeply humane.

Environmental Responsibility Meets Community Care

El Camino Health’s commitment to innovation and sustainability is long-standing, earning them national honors like the 2024 GHX Supply Chain of Distinction Award. By collaborating with MedCycle Network, they’re taking that innovation a step further—aligning their supply chain with environmental values and health equity goals.

Together, we are:

• Redirecting surplus medical supplies and equipment each month to local clinics.

• Cutting carbon emissions through hyperlocal distribution that keeps resources in the community.

• Preserving clinical morale by ensuring that surplus supplies continue to support care.

• Offsetting local clinic budgets, enabling local providers to reallocate resources toward direct patient care.

And thanks to El Camino’s generosity, supplies are already reaching front-lines where the need is greatest—from street medicine programs serving unhoused individuals in Oakland to free clinics treating uninsured patients throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area.

A Model for What’s Possible

At the heart of this collaboration is a shared belief that a healthier community and a healthier planet go hand-in-hand.

“El Camino Health’s leadership in community support and environmental stewardship is exemplary,” said Eric Talbert, CEO and Co-Founder of MedCycle Network. “The medical surplus they are donating are more than supplies—they’re investing in a just and sustainable future for all Californians.”

With every delivery, El Camino is strengthening local safety-net providers, helping reduce preventable hospital visits, and demonstrating what’s possible when mission-driven healthcare systems take bold action.

MedCycle Network Co-Founders: Ernesto, Eric, and Andy in front of over 60 pallets of medical supplies donated by El Camino Health

Looking Ahead

This Earth Day, we invite hospitals, health systems, and donors across California to follow El Camino Health’s lead. The need is urgent, the surplus is abundant, and the infrastructure is in place. Together, we can turn excess into access—protecting our planet while expanding care.

Whether it’s a crash cart that finds a second life in a neighborhood clinic or boxes of gloves that allows a street medic to provide care with dignity, every item tells a story of healing, equity, and impact.

Let’s write the next chapter—together.

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