TriMedx Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides healthcare equipment to hospitals in Third World countries, and whose mission is to offer "hope and health through medical technology," recently reached its goal of impacting more than one million lives.
"Through the efforts of TriMedx Foundation, its volunteers and partners, one million people in developing countries now have access to healthcare," said Tim Moss, the foundation's executive director. "Without life-saving medical equipment, such as anesthesia units, ultrasound units and X-ray machines, the ability to diagnose and treat patients is virtually impossible. That is why we believe we are doing God's work in serving these people who desperately need our help."
Created in 2004, TriMedx Foundation has supported 54 mission projects in 18 different countries. Its inception was spawned not only by the lack of functioning medical equipment in these nations, but also the fact that an estimated 270 million children in developing countries do not have access to healthcare.
TriMedx collects, repairs, transports and installs donated medical equipment to hospitals in impoverished communities around the world such as Haiti, Honduras and Ecuador. Coordinating multiple mission trips each year, the foundation relies on healthcare providers and medical equipment suppliers to donate equipment. Medical equipment valued at more than $550,000 was donated in 2009 alone.
"Equipment and medical supplies are critical to these clinics and hospitals that are mostly funded and supported by nonprofit organizations and operated by volunteers," said Gloria Brocksmith, project manager for TriMedx Foundation.
Though the foundation has surpassed its goal, TriMedx Foundation has no plans to slow its efforts. In fact, Brocksmith said the organization will continue to work to impact more lives on a daily basis and has already set a new goal to impact two million lives by 2014.
To reach this goal, the foundation trains locals to repair and maintain equipment, which reduces the need and the expense to send technicians from the United States. This allows TriMedx Foundation to impact more lives in less time.
"We want to reach as many hospitals as possible," said Brocksmith. "Our goal is to create a sustainable method so we can continue to impact more and more lives."
