The primary goal of InterVol’s Recovery of Unused Medical Supplies Program (RUMS) is threefold:
| To collect unused medical supplies and used, but functioning medical equipment and distribute to areas of need locally, nationally, and internationally |
|
To protect the local environment by reducing waste |
|
To save disposal costs to health care facilities |
InterVol’s RUMS program began in 1989 as a recycling operation running out of founder Dr. Ralph Pennino’s garage, and by 1994 had become one of the first supply recovery programs to be described in health care industry literature. Today, endorsed by the American Medical Association, RUMS is housed in a local Rochester warehouse actively recycling up to four tons of medical supplies each week with distribution to over 17 local humane societies, 6 local school districts, and over 75 hospitals and clinics worldwide! Some examples of past RUMS projects include sending ambulances to the Caribbean, infant warmers to Kenya, and anesthesia machines to Belize.
All of these medical supplies and equipment would otherwise have been thrown out, incinerated, or buried in local landfills. But through the efforts of our volunteers, they are now become a life-saving resource to other areas of the world, where many overseas medical facilities are desperate for any and all medical care basics – often simply sterilizing and reusing gloves, drapes, and bandages.
RUMS is a growing program that relies on local volunteers that hail from all walks of life – spanning generations, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity – who come together to fulfill a worldwide need. RUMS provides volunteer opportunities for both medical and non-medical personnel, community groups, schools and colleges, church groups, and clubs which sort and package supplies in the warehouse for transport. Many introduced to InterVol through these sorting parties remain involved. A number of students have become involved through fulfilling these community service requirements, and then learned of additional ways they could help others through InterVol’s international programs.
Links
Introduction to the Warehouse for New Volunteers
AMA support for InterVol
Sustainability @ the
University of Rochester
Operation Giving Back: American College of Surgeons
