Suitcases Full of Care: MedCycle Network Supports a MedTeam to the Philippines
Every year, volunteer healthcare professionals pack their bags and fly to communities all over the world, bringing their life-saving skills and whatever medical supplies they can carry. This past November, MedCycle Network was proud to help fill those suitcases with the care they needed.
In early November, our partners on the UCSF Health Sustainability team connected MedCycle Network with Sam, a registered nurse with UCSF Health. He was preparing to join a group of volunteer healthcare professionals traveling to the Philippines as part of a medical mission organized by the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns and the Consortium for People's Development – Disaster Response, two organizations dedicated to delivering care and support to communities.
The Right Supplies at the Right Moment
Sam moved quickly. He reviewed MedCycle Network's inventory and identified four full boxes of medical supplies that his MedTeam could use, supplies they would carry in their personal suitcases on the flight.
The delivery was made to Sam in late November, the day after Thanksgiving, and included many of the most commonly needed items we receive from our hospital partners: gloves, gowns, gauze, needles, syringes, and drapes. One especially meaningful match stood out — fifty pacifiers for newborn babies.
These aren't items that get shipped on pallets or processed through large aid pipelines. They're the essentials that a volunteer healthcare professional packs by hand and carries with them because a community needs them and they're ready to directly provide supportive care.
Looking Ahead: More MedTeams, More Communities
To learn more about Sam's trip to the Philippines, click here. We are looking forward to supporting Sam and his colleagues on their next MedTeam trip to the Philippines. If you are interested in learning about joining them, click here.
This partnership is part of a growing effort. MedCycle Network is currently working on supply donations for MedTeams heading to Guatemala and back to Cambodia, and we're eager to support more teams as this program expands.
Partner With Us
Are you part of a MedTeam preparing for an international medical mission? We'd love to help you bring the supplies you need. Email us at info@medcyclenetwork.org to learn more about how MedCycle Network can support your MedTeam.
Together, we can ensure that every MedTeam volunteer arrives ready to deliver care.