Global Links, a Pittsburgh-based international medical aid and development organization, promotes environmental stewardship while improving health in some of the poorest countries in the hemisphere. Through efficient systems for recovering surplus supplies, furnishings and biomedical equipment from U.S. healthcare facilities, since 1989 Global Links has diverted more than 6 million pounds of medical materials from US landfills to lifesaving purposes. Our largest recovery program targets key hospital departments to provide an environmentally responsible outlet for still-useful materials that otherwise would be disposed of due to hospital protocols, changes in services, etc. These materials are then processed and matched to the needs of healthcare facilities serving the most vulnerable populations. Recently, Global Links launched a community homecare recovery program to address the surplus built into the US home healthcare system. In the past 2 years, Global Links has recovered and repurposed hundreds of wheelchairs, crutches, breathing machines, dialysis supplies and more, primarily from Western Pennsylvania. All of these items would otherwise have been discarded.
