February 19, 2025 | Caroline Jackson
Project C.U.R.E. is the world’s largest distributor of donated medical supplies. To date, seven distribution centers around the United States are nearly full year-round. When our mission began almost 38 years ago, these supplies could fit into a two-car garage. Doctors would simply pull excess equipment off the shelves and allow us to distribute it as seen fit.
But where do these medical supplies come from now? The answer varies. At times, hospitals and offices overestimate their needs, allowing supplies to sit on shelves unused–much like many of us grocery shopping. Some families have patients who need in-home care. After the patient heals, the families are left with loads of supplies they no longer need. However, some of our biggest donations come from hospitals and clinics that have built new facilities.
In October of 2024, Tyler Shields, an Associate Project Manager at Intermountain Health, began working on decommissioning the Lutheran Medical Center. The facility had relocated, outfitting its new location with the latest state-of-the-art technology, a common practice in the U.S. for recently built hospitals and clinics. As fate may have it, Shields saw two Project C.U.R.E. volunteers on a donation pickup in the area.
“One day, I just saw them in the hallway. Pulling in a couple of IV poles and wheelchairs,” sparking his interest. In forming a relationship with Carol and Bob, the Project C.U.R.E. volunteers, he learned about Project C.U.R.E. and the constant need for donated equipment.
Just a short time later, Tyler Shields worked with Dave Maddux, Project C.U.R.E.’s Special Projects Manager. Building a team, they began chipping away at the four floors of medical equipment donations. Shields and other Project C.U.R.E. volunteers reportedly picked up 222 cargo feet of medical equipment and office supplies–waiting room chairs, filing cabinets, and more. This amount can fill up nearly eleven semi-trucks of life-saving medical equipment and supplies!
"Some of the things are amazing to us: the cribs for instance, the [hospital] beds. And often when people think about Project C.U.R.E., they don’t think about the other supplies we need, such as waiting room chairs, waiting room furniture, office furniture, laundry hampers, etc. All of which Lutheran had dozens and dozens and dozens of. So very critical for the people who are our recipients," says Maddux.
In the coming months, curated teams will continue traveling the world on assessment trips. Visiting clinics, hospitals, and doctors who invite us to understand their medical equipment and supply needs, we then determine how we can help.
Thanks to the generous donation from Lutheran Hospital and the partnership of Tyler Shields, 222 cargo feet of life-saving equipment will be delivered to facilities across the globe, and distributed specifically to where it is needed most.
Our biggest challenge? Spreading the word to the hospitals, clinics, and doctors here in the U.S. about how their surplus equipment can change the lives of people globally.
As Shields reflects, “One of my biggest regrets during the decommissioning was not connecting with Project C.U.R.E. sooner,” simply due to a lack of knowledge about the organization. If Carol and Bob weren't spotted, we may have never been involved with this tremendous donation.
Help us change this; tell your doctors and physicians about Project C.U.R.E.! It’s a simple action that doesn’t require volunteering or donating but can have a global impact. Every day, healthcare providers discard countless medical supplies simply because many don't know we exist.
Join us today! Together, we can deliver health & hope to those who need it most.
