We have partnered with humanitarian aid organizations to help get unused medical supplies from UCSF Health to those in need. Our medical supply donations program not only helps to reduce waste and improve sustainability at UCSF Health, but also helps to increase resilience of local Bay Area clinics and community organizations.
By helping community clinics and resilience hubs access supplies, UCSF Health is supporting their ability to serve the community in preparation for, and during times of, climate emergencies and recovery efforts.
- What’s a resilience hub? “Community-serving facilities where community members can access services for disaster response and recovery, as well as gather, organize, and access resilience-building social services on a daily basis.” - Urban Sustainability Directors Network
- Why is this important? The climate crisis continues to accelerate, making emergencies and disruptions not a matter of if, but when. A network of resilience at the community level can 1) reduce the travel distance for accessing essential resources and safety during times of disruptions, and 2) offer community-tailored preparedness in between emergencies. Without these important networks, communities will be left more vulnerable to increasing negative health impacts. This ultimately also places additional strain on health care facilities such as ours, who receive the community members who have nowhere else to go for accessing safety and support during emergencies.
How YOU Can Support
We need UCSF Health staff to volunteer to be a Green Champion in their unit and help identify and collect donations. If you’re interested in starting a collection process for your unit or learning more, reach out to us at healthsustainability@ucsf.edu.
How to Donate
- Review the "What We Take" section below
- Drop off your donations at your nearest collection point (directions below):
Items must be packed in a cardboard box before being dropped off.
What We Take
We can accept medical supply donations from UCSF staff, however cannot accept donations from patients or other community members.
Although UCSF would like to accept all types of medical supply donations, our donations partners only accept certain types of items. This is because there are high product standards when it comes to medical supply donations, as recipients need items that are in good working order. Reminder, it does more harm than good to donate unacceptable items.
What can we take?
- Items with at least 6 months or more before expiration
- Items that have never had direct patient contact
- Items that are in perfect working condition
- Damaged box and/or packaging is acceptable as long as the product is not damaged in any way and sterility has not been affected
Examples include:
- Anesthesia Supplies
- Dressings, Gauze and Tape
- EKG/EEG Supplies and Equipment
- Electrodes
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Fetal Doppler Supplies and Equipment
- First Aid Supplies
- Gloves, Surgical and Exam
- Gowns, Surgical and Patient
- Intravenous Supplies
- Labor and Delivery Supplies
- Laryngoscopes
- Masks (N-95, KN-94…)
- Monitoring Supplies and Equipment
- Needles (sterile only)
- OB/GYN Supplies
| - Orthopedic Supplies
- Ostomy Supplies
- OR Packs (sterile only)
- Ophthalmoscopes
- Otoscopes
- Patient Care (Nursing) Supplies
- Pediatric Supplies
- Personal Hygiene Items
- Plastic Medical Items
- Procedural Trays
- Respiratory Supplies
- Skin Prep Items
- Staplers
- Suction/Irrigation Supplies
- Sutures (sterile)
- Syringes
- Urinary Supplies
- Vascular Clips
|
Unacceptable items:
- No expired items, or items with less than 6 months before expiration
- No liquids, pharmaceuticals, batteries, hazardous materials, or recalled products
Donation Metrics
In 2024, we relaunched our Medical Supply Donations program by partnering with a nonprofit organization. This initiative not only helps us reduce waste but also supports local communities in need. Here’s what we’ve donated in the first year of the program:
We partner with humanitarian aid organizations to help get unused medical supplies to those in need.