Duke REMEDY Sends Supplies to Countries Affected by Ebola Outbreak

Duke REMEDY volunteers

Duke REMEDY student volunteers

Published August 22, 2014, last updated on April 9, 2018

Surplus medical supplies recovered from Duke Hospital by the Duke REMEDY program are making their way to Liberia and Sierra Leone in an effort to aid with the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. Today the third shipment to Liberia will be shipped from Durham, with another planned for the second week of September.

John Lohnes, a Duke orthopaedic physician assistant who leads the REMEDY program, has been working with several Duke employees from those countries to organize these shipments.  Nine pallets, or 700 cartons, of exam gloves and eight pallets, or about 200 boxes, of other supplies including masks, isolation gowns, antiseptics, syringes, needles, and bandage supplies are being shipped to Monrovia, Liberia.  From there, they will be distributed via the Ministry of Health to area hospitals with Ebola treatment centers as well as to hospitals and clinics in more remote areas of the country.  Additional supplies are currently being staged for shipment to Sierra Leone.

Amanda Thomas, a clinical nurse educator at Duke Regional Hospital and Amos Kai at Duke Materials Services, both native Liberians, have been instrumental in coordinating the recent shipments.  Thomas says, “I am grateful and Liberia is twice as grateful”, for these supplies, which are in dire need in these already medically underserved areas.

Duke staff, undergraduates, medical, and nursing students volunteer throughout the year to sort and pack usable medical surplus that otherwise might be discarded.  Lohnes has coordinated the program for 10 years, with thousands of boxes of supplies having been sent to more than 30 countries around the world via various individual and non-profit global health projects.

“People hear about global health issues, but don't really know what they can do about it, and this is a way the Duke community can help,” said Lohnes. “While ‘crises’ tend to raise awareness and mobilize action, our goal is to support Duke-affiliated global health projects on a regular basis, educate about ongoing health disparities at home and abroad, and encourage the reduction of medical waste at our own medical facilities.”

Want to help? Duke students or employees interested in volunteering can contact Lohnes directly or visit the Duke REMEDY website

 

Related News