The country of Haiti endured a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in August 2021 that killed hundreds of people, injured thousands and overwhelmed hospitals.

In response, UF Health donated 17 pallets of medical supplies and over-the-counter, or OTC, medications to Project Medishare, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of Haitians.

The donation was initiated by Ketialie Laroche, M.D., a UF Health College of Medicine pediatric resident and Haitian-American.

UF Health Shands Supply Chain Services and Materials Management worked with Project Medishare to identify specific needs for medical supplies and OTC medications, said Tedd Comerford, associate vice president of Supply Chain Services and Materials Management.

“We put together an enormous number of items that we had in our Integrated Service Center,” Comerford said. “We had materials that were procured because of the COVID-19 pandemic that we were able to share. By the time we gathered materials from here, Jacksonville and Central Florida, we had 17 pallets ready to go.”

He explained that with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it can be easy for people to quickly forget the other challenges individuals and communities may be facing. And facilitating the donations to Haiti provided an opportunity to return the kindness shown by so many to UF Health over the past two years.

“It’s great to be on the receiving end and it’s even greater and more rewarding to be on the giving end,” Comerford said. “It’s amazing how so many people stepped up to help UF Health in the pandemic. And now, to be able to turn around and pay that forward — it’s pretty exciting to see that come full circle.”