Stryker gets medical equipment to regions in need with Project C.U.R.E. partnership

27-Feb-2024

Stryker employees volunteering for Project CURE V2

For under-resourced countries around the world, healthcare professionals and caregivers are faced with daily equipment and supply shortfalls that cause delays in providing care to patients.¹

Stryker has partnered with Project C.U.R.E. to donate medical equipment and supplies to under-resourced countries since 2007.
Project C.U.R.E., the world’s largest distributor of donated medical equipment and supplies, delivers to hospitals and clinics in need around the world in more than 135 countries.
In 2023 alone, Stryker equipment was included in nearly all of the 214 shipments to 50 countries, impacting over 400 health facilities.
This partnership helps both patients and care teams, providing health systems with additional capacity.
Stryker is committed to working with partners who help advance access to healthcare and healthcare technology globally.

To help bring more equipment and medical supplies to under-resourced nations across the globe, Stryker has identified Project C.U.R.E as a signature partner. Through product donations and grant funding, our partnership helps bring medical technology to regions in need and ensures Project C.U.R.E. can operate safely and efficiently during times of crisis.

Why it matters

Of the 313 million surgeries done around the world each year, only 6% of them occur in under-resourced countries.¹ This isn’t because the need is less. “They just don’t have the tools,” says Janet Thomason, Director of National Procurement at Project C.U.R.E. “In the United States, laying people on the floor on a tarp seems inhumane, but in many countries, there aren’t better options. A Stryker bed is a life changing donation. This is what drives the relationship between Stryker and Project C.U.R.E.

“And it’s not just better for the patient,” adds Dr. Douglas Jackson, CEO of Project C.U.R.E. “You just changed the entire world for a nurse. You don't have a 45 kg nurse moving a 110 kg man. It’s a miserable day for someone working a 10-hour shift. That equipment revolutionises healthcare, not only for the patient, but the provider, too." Similarly, the impact of Stryker's surgical instruments significantly changes healthcare. “Where Project C.U.R.E. works, the tools are not there, but on the flipside, the talent is there,” says Janet. “There are surgeons and healthcare professionals who just need these tools to take care of their communities.”

“Stryker and Project C.U.R.E. make a great partnership because we share a similar determination,” says Douglas. “It comes down to saving lives and changing lives. And that really isn’t possible without partners like Stryker.”

Read the full story

For under-resourced countries around the world, healthcare professionals and caregivers are faced with daily equipment and supply shortfalls that cause delays in providing care to patients.¹ Everyday needs from consumables to surgical equipment are lacking, forcing critical decisions by care teams. In the United States, the shortages during the COVID pandemic were a glimpse into the challenges facing healthcare providers on a regular basis.

To help bring more equipment and medical supplies to under-resourced nations across the globe Stryker has developed a “signature partnership” with Project C.U.R.E. Through product donations and grant funding, our partnership helps bring medical technology and critical resources to regions in need and, ensures that Project C.U.R.E. can operate safely and efficiently during times of high demand.

Project C.U.R.E. is the world’s largest distributor of donated medical equipment and supplies to resource-limited communities, touching the lives of patients, families and children in more than 135 countries. Each week, on average, Project C.U.R.E. delivers three to five semi-truck-sized containers packed with medical equipment and supplies from seven large U.S. warehouses to local hospitals and clinics in desperate need. In addition, Project C.U.R.E. provides essential supplies and equipment in times of crisis. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Project C.U.R.E. has successfully accomplished over 150 shipments, worth more than $30 million.

Since 2007, Stryker and Project C.U.R.E. have been working together to deliver medical relief to communities experiencing incredible poverty and to provide essential supplies and equipment in times of crisis. “We started with Stryker in the orthopedic tools division, receiving drills, saws and other essential items for surgical procedures. That original relationship continues, and it has grown to include beds, sterilisation equipment, gurneys, supplies and other items,” says Dr. Douglas Jackson, CEO of Project C.U.R.E. “Going forward, we look forward to continuing our partnership by incorporating other product lines and divisions."

In recent years, Stryker elevated Project C.U.R.E. to "signature partner" status, which means that Stryker provides monetary donations to support their efforts in addition to the ongoing product donations supplied. Stryker selects signature partners who help advance access to healthcare and healthcare technology globally. We collaborate with Project C.U.R.E. to provide products where needed, including opportunities to support survivors of natural disasters.

Of the 313 million surgeries done around the world each year, only 6% of them occur in under-resourced countries.¹

This isn’t because the need is less. “They just don’t have the tools,” says Janet Thomason, Director of National Procurement at Project C.U.R.E. “In the United States, laying people on the floor on a tarp seems inhumane, but in many countries, there aren’t better options. A Stryker bed is a life changing donation.” This is what drives the relationship between Stryker and Project C.U.R.E. “And it’s not just better for the patient,” adds Dr. Douglas Jackson, CEO of Project C.U.R.E. “We change the entire world for a nurse. You don't have a 45 kg nurse moving a 110 kg man. It’s a miserable day for someone working a 10-hour shift. That equipment revolutionises healthcare, not only for the patient, but the provider, too." Similarly, the impact of Stryker's surgical instruments significantly changes healthcare. “Where Project C.U.R.E. works, the tools are not there, but on the flipside, the talent is there,” says Janet. “There are surgeons and healthcare professionals who just need these tools to take care of their communities.”

Stryker’s recent impact with Project C.U.R.E.

Together, Stryker collaborated with Project C.U.R.E. on record numbers of product shipments across a wide range of Stryker specialties. In 2023, Project C.U.R.E. delivered 214 semi-truck sized cargo shipments around the world, representing over 400 health facilities in 50 different countries. “Seventy percent of shipments that go out include supplies from Stryker,” says Janet. Thousands of people were impacted and countless lives saved.

In 2023, Project C.U.R.E. responded to earthquakes in Syria and Turkey, cyclones in Malawi, hurricanes in Mexico and the war in the Middle East. Stryker worked with Project C.U.R.E. to donate transport equipment, beds and surgical care devices to multiple regions. For example, one of the earliest shipments into the Middle East included 425 of Stryker’s emergency relief bed mattresses to equip emergency shelters for refugees.

Stryker continues to work with Project C.U.R.E. to offer an Orthopedic Power Tool Grant Programme to bring medical equipment to surgeons performing orthopaedic surgery. The program impacted 21 countries in 2023. From Angola to Zambia, 41 power sets were distributed for surgeon led mission trips and Project C.U.R.E. cargo container programmes. Life-changing surgical procedures were performed on these trips, with educational sessions and training provided to local surgical teams.

Stryker employees back medical supplies for Project C.U.R.E.

Craniomaxillofacial grants also continued in 2023, which help regions that have little to no access to healthcare provide life-changing surgery for people with cleft lip and/or palate, and other craniofacial anomalies in children and adults. In the future, we will work together to include a broader range of product lines to support Project C.U.R.E.

Employees continue to give their time at Project C.U.R.E. distribution centres which are located in Denver, Phoenix, Nashville, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Kansas City, volunteering to sort incoming donations, provide warehouse support, share valuable technical expertise and prepare equipment for shipment. The passion employees have for volunteering with Project C.U.R.E. continues to grow each year.

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