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International Medical Equipment Collaborative (IMEC)
Encyclopedia
International Medical Equipment Collaborative (IMEC) is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that provides medical equipment to doctors and nurses working hospitals and clinics in impoverished areas worldwide. IMEC is in North Andover, Massachusetts
, where volunteers sort, repair, package and ship donated medical supplies and equipment to international medical personnel. Through partnerships with various humanitarian organizations IMEC has been delivering medical supplies for 14 years. IMEC is known for providing medical supplies that doctors request for their patients.
"Between October 1996 and October 1997, IMEC brought about $1.6 million worth of equipment into its 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) warehouse, which used to be a giant machine shop. It also relied on 10,000 hours of volunteer time from individuals and organizations such as churches and service groups."
In 2004, IMEC introduced the Center of Health Initiative where IMEC would work with shepherding organizations to identify an empty hospital and retrofit it with basic health care services. By using surplus equipment from hospitals and clinics in the United States, IMEC is able to keep costs low while still providing the equipment needed. IMEC collaborates with the shepherding organization to ensure customs papers for a country are properly completed, as well as securing an offloading procedure in the destination country.
"IMEC's Centers of Health Initiative provides developing nations with a replicable, integrated model for sustaining medical care and health education that is efficient and economical. These centers stabilize existing services, expand the range of services, improve access to health care, and advance the health status of the population over time."
IMEC moved from several small storage facilities to a 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) warehouse in North Andover Massachusetts in 2007 where they are currently located. The warehouse serves as the collection, refurbishing and distribution center for IMEC. IMEC currently ships 75 containers to 75 countries yearly through numerous shepherding organizations.
IMEC has been consistently nominated for the "Gates Award for Global Health" given by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Additionally, recently, IMEC received the 2010 Amoud Foundation Annual Achievement Award (AAA).
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where volunteers sort, repair, package and ship donated medical supplies and equipment to international medical personnel. Through partnerships with various humanitarian organizations IMEC has been delivering medical supplies for 14 years. IMEC is known for providing medical supplies that doctors request for their patients.
History
Founded in 1995, IMEC started in the garage of now IMEC's President, Thomas Keefe. A former hospital administrator, Tom Keefe collected surplus medical equipment caused by hospitals closing, downsizing and eliminating entire services. With the help of humanitarian organizations, this acquired surplus was channeled to developing countries worldwide. Sustained mostly by volunteers, IMEC has grown extensively over the years refurbishing medical equipment and shipping worldwide."Between October 1996 and October 1997, IMEC brought about $1.6 million worth of equipment into its 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) warehouse, which used to be a giant machine shop. It also relied on 10,000 hours of volunteer time from individuals and organizations such as churches and service groups."
In 2004, IMEC introduced the Center of Health Initiative where IMEC would work with shepherding organizations to identify an empty hospital and retrofit it with basic health care services. By using surplus equipment from hospitals and clinics in the United States, IMEC is able to keep costs low while still providing the equipment needed. IMEC collaborates with the shepherding organization to ensure customs papers for a country are properly completed, as well as securing an offloading procedure in the destination country.
"IMEC's Centers of Health Initiative provides developing nations with a replicable, integrated model for sustaining medical care and health education that is efficient and economical. These centers stabilize existing services, expand the range of services, improve access to health care, and advance the health status of the population over time."
IMEC moved from several small storage facilities to a 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) warehouse in North Andover Massachusetts in 2007 where they are currently located. The warehouse serves as the collection, refurbishing and distribution center for IMEC. IMEC currently ships 75 containers to 75 countries yearly through numerous shepherding organizations.
IMEC has been consistently nominated for the "Gates Award for Global Health" given by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Additionally, recently, IMEC received the 2010 Amoud Foundation Annual Achievement Award (AAA).
The IMEC Process
IMEC operates under a 5-step plan: Assessment, Acquisition, Preparation, Packaging, and Shipping.Assessment
The process begins when a shepherding group identifies a hospital in need and contacts IMEC to request service. IMEC’s assessment volunteers have many years of experience in working with hospitals in the developing world. IMEC and the sponsoring humanitarian organization work with hospital personnel to assess the hospital’s needs and to create a plan for its rejuvenation. The plan lists only the needed types of medical support – maternity, surgical, dental, eye care, etc. – and IMEC uses that plan to begin the process of equipment acquisition and preparation. Shepherding groups are often established humanitarian organizations, church groups, or in-country health system willing to support a project over a three to five year period.Acquisition
The medical equipment and supplies that IMEC delivers come from a variety of sources. The majority of items donated to IMEC come from hospitals and medical equipment companies across the United States. Hospitals that are reorganizing often find themselves discarding fully functional medical devices that have been replaced with newer models. Medical equipment companies introducing new lines are left with unsold warehouse stock of discontinued devices. IMEC’s Acquisition Department offers its services to these companies and hospitals by taking their surplus equipment and bringing it to IMEC, where it is distributed according to the needs of the different projects. From time to time, a required piece of equipment is not available from donations, so it is purchased from the manufacturers. Often, these manufacturers offer this equipment at a discount, in order to aid IMEC's mission.Preparation
IMEC collects the equipment and brings it to its 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) workshop and distribution center in North Andover, MA, where volunteers clean it, make sure it’s fully functional, and organize it for suite assembly. Used equipment is repaired as needed by skilled technical volunteers, many of whom are retired electrical engineers and medical technicians. Linens and medical supplies are sorted and organized into packages designed by nurses and physicians for the requirements of each suite.Packaging
IMEC's workshop volunteers organize the equipment and supplies into complete medical suites, packed onto pallets for shipment. For example, a labor and maternity suite includes all of the equipment and supplies necessary for a basic delivery room. Each suite is packed to fit onto pallets, taking one or two pallets per suite.Shipping
Twenty pallets fit into a standard 40’ container, which allows IMEC to ship between sixteen and twenty suites in one container—enough to completely equip a clinic. Nine containers will carry enough equipment, furnishings and supplies to equip an entire hospital.A volunteer-based organization
IMEC is made up of volunteers supported by a small staff. Funded by donations from individuals as well as corporations, IMEC is able to sustain its activities. IMEC's volunteers come from corporate service teams, retired medical professionals and interested individuals. This donation of time, effort, and expertise allows IMEC to efficiently and effectively carry out all aspects of the project. Experienced volunteers perform in-country hospital assessments and acquire needed medical equipment. Any necessary repairs to the equipment are done by volunteers who bring skill sets that include sewing, electronics, or the simple willingness to clean the marks of previous use. Volunteers perform the final packaging and shipping, down to the last act of loading the pallets by forklift into shipping containers destined for impoverished hospitals worldwide.IMEC Worldwide
Over the years IMEC has shipped many containers worldwide with numerous shepherding groups. Some examples include:Africa
| Country | Shepherding Group |
|---|---|
| Cameroon | Nascent Solutions |
| Chad | International Relief and Development (IRD) |
| Dominican Republic of Congo | Adventist Development and Relief Agency Adventist Development and Relief Agency The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International is a humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the purpose of providing individual and community development and disaster relief... (ADRA) |
| Ethiopia | Greater Newburyport-Bura Alliance |
| Ghana | Kimiyo, LTD |
| Kenya | Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) Resource Exchange In the Advancement of Community Health (REACH) Greater Newburyport-Bura Alliance |
| Liberia | ADRA Adra Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus... |
| Malawi | ADRA Adra Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus... |
| Morocco | Volunteer Morocco |
| Rwanda | Hope and Health |
| Somaliland | Amoud Foundation |
| Zimbabwe | World Vision World Vision World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of... , ADRA Adra Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus... |
Americas
| Country | Shepherding Group |
|---|---|
| Dominican Republic | Organizacion Dominicana de Recursos Internacionales |
| Guatemala | Salesian Missions |
| Haiti | Pan American Development Foundation Pan American Development Foundation The Pan American Development Foundation is a non-governmental and non-political organization created in 1962 by the Organization of American States , the public sector and the private sector to focus on issues of pressing concern in the Western Hemisphere. PADF, a non-profit organization, has... (PADF) Organizacion Dominicana de Recursos Internacionales World Connect |
| Jamaica | Mustard Seed Communities |
| Nicaragua | Woodstock VT Rotary Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity of New England |
| Peru | Greenwich Rotary The World is Our Neighborhood (TWION) |
Asia
| Country | Shepherding Group |
|---|---|
| Armenia | Knights of Vartan |
| Azerbaijan | IRD |
| Bolivia | ADRA Adra Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus... |
| Indonesia | IRD |
| Iraq | IRD |
| Lebanon | Lebanon Growth Foundation |
| Myanmar | ADRA Adra Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus... |
| Nepal | ADRA Adra Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus... |
| Pakistan | Association of Pakistani Physicians New England |
| Romania | ADRA Adra Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus... |
| Ukraine | IRD, ADRA Adra Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus... |
| Vietnam | ADRA Adra Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus... |
Registration and Funding in the United States
IMEC is a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization registered in the USAID Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO). IMEC was officially recognized by USAID on 11/23/2001 and a report of financial activities is presented within the registry. IMEC receives its funding from corporate grants and private donations.Donated Equipment
IMEC is supported by private and corporate donations. Donations come in the form of medical equipment, volunteers and financial grants. The "Acquisition" step of IMEC's 5-step plan comes from a variety of corporate donors. Endoscopic tools, dental equipment, neonatal and pediatric products, stretchers, and furniture are some of the donated equipment IMEC collects and redistributes abroad.External links
- IMEC Official Website
- USAID PVO
- United Way of the Greater Seacoast
- International Relief and Development (IRD)
- Knights of Vartan
- Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
- Woodstock VT Rotary
- Greenwich Rotary
- World Vision
- Pan American Development Foundation (PADF)
- Mustard Seed Communities
- Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA)
- Salesian Missions
- Association of Pakistani Physicians New England (APPNE)
- Organizacion Dominicana de Recursos Internacionales
- EPA Donation Programs