HOSPITALS IN 10 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES RECEIVING DONATION OF 700 BEDS FROM HEALTHCARE LEADERS

HOSPITALS IN 10 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES RECEIVING DONATION OF 700 BEDS FROM HEALTHCARE LEADERS
New York, NY (Feb. 21, 2011) – Sick and injured people in countries ravaged by natural disasters, extreme poverty and other major challenges will receive care in good-quality hospital beds thanks to a partnership between two leaders in global public health and one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the United States.

Last fall, Cincinnati-based Catholic Health Partners (CHP) donated 700 beds formerly used in many of its 34 hospitals in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Pennsylvania to the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB). CMMB turned to MedShare, a nonprofit that bridges the gap between surplus and need by collecting excess supplies in the US and sending them to hospitals in developing countries, who will identify facilities in need and then ship the beds.

A first shipment – from Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, KY, and other CHP hospitals -- was delivered to earthquake-torn Hopital Bienfaisance de Pignon in Pignon, Haiti, in October. Another went to Fundacion Salvadorena para la Salud y Desarolla Humano (FUSAL) in El Salvador in January. The remaining beds are destined for delivery to Nigeria, Gambia, Bolivia, Ghana, Congo, Sierra Leone, Dominican Republic and Lesotho.

Michael D. Connelly, President and Chief Executive Officer at Catholic Health Partners, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to fulfill our mission of helping people who are poor and under-served. It aligns perfectly with our core values such as compassion and service to others. We are grateful to CMMB and MedShare for working with us to make sure that these beds go to the less fortunate.”

Thom Gray, CMMB’s Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer described the partnership: “CMMB has sent medicines and medical supplies to serve those in need throughout the world for almost 100 years. In the past five years, the value of those shipments has totaled nearly $1 billion. The donation of 700 beds, however, is the largest donation of durable medical equipment we have ever received. We looked for someone with expertise, and someone who shares our concern for those in need, to facilitate the shipment. We found MedShare.” MedShare employs two biomedical technicians who inspect and repair any equipment pieces that MedShare handles. MedShare’s biomedical technicians and staff ensure that all equipment is clean, fully-functional, and properly calibrated for its recipient country before shipment.

A.B. Short, CEO and co-founder MedShare, adds: “Our organization’s goals are in line with CMMB’s, and we are excited about our partnership. On a recent trip to Puyo Hospital in Ecuador, we were told by their Chief of Pediatrics, Dr. Abel Borosso, that the hospital is running over 300% capacity right now. The average hospital stay is 3-5 days per patient and we don’t have enough beds.’ With this partnership, wecan help alleviate a situation like Dr. Borroso’s and improve healthcare around the world.”

About CMMB
With nearly 100 years of service since 1912, CMMB (Catholic Medical Mission Board) is the leading U.S.-based Catholic charity focused exclusively on global healthcare. CMMB’s medical volunteer, donated medicines, HIV/AIDS, child survival and neglected tropical diseases programs and initiatives focus on making healthcare available to all. Last year, with revenues of more than $190 million, CMMB worked in nearly 50 countries, serving the poorest of the poor. Specifically, Healing Help, CMMB’s medical donation program, delivered supplies valued at more than $163.3 million to 173 hospitals, clinics and other health facilities in 38 countries. MVP, CMMB’s medical volunteer program, deployed 68 long-term volunteers and facilitated the placement of an additional 1,595 short-term volunteers in 24 countries.

CMMB is headquartered in New York City, at 10 West 17th Street. It also maintains a Washington, D.C. office. Globally, it has offices in Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Peru, South Africa, Southern Sudan, and Zambia and has a regional representative in India. For more information, please visit the CMMB website: www.cmmb.org.

About MedShare
MedShare is an innovative nonprofit with a dual mission to deliver surplus medical supplies to underserved populations around the world while lessening the impact of medical waste in the United States. Through partnerships with hospitals and manufacturers, MedShare has sent over 630 tractor-trailer size containers of medical supplies to 85 developing countries, and touched countless lives.

About Catholic Health Partners
Catholic Health Partners is the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest non-profit health systems in the U.S. With $5.05 billion in assets, CHP employs more than 38,000 associates in more than 100 organizations, including 34 hospitals which serve the healthcare needs of people in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and contiguous states. True to our mission, in 2009 CHP provided more than $348.2 million, or 8.7 percent of total expenses, in targeted community benefit. CHP actively lives our values by committing to comprehensive benefits, including health care coverage for all regular associates, and by paying competitive wages, including a just wage that exceeds state and federal minimums. CHP is proud that our diverse associates provide high quality care to all who walk through our doors and is proud to be nationally ranked for the past two years as a Top 10 Health System for Quality in Efficiency in a Thomson Reuters study of 255 health systems across the country. To learn more about Catholic Health Partners, visit www.health-partners.org.

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