Largest Shipment of Medical Supplies from Bay Area Heads to Sri Lanka

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 20, 2005 – In the largest shipment to date from the Bay Area to South Asia following the earthquake and tsunamis that swept the region in late December, approximately 1,000 boxes of medical supplies left Sutter Health’s Burlingame distribution center today for Sri Lanka. Federal Express is providing shipping services free of charge.

Sutter Health affiliates California Pacific Medical Center and Mills-Peninsula Health Services are donating $40,000 worth of medical supplies including antibiotics, ointments and bandages, along with employee donations of clean bedding and towels. Previously, Sutter Health donated $200,000 in cash to the American Red Cross in support of Tsunami Relief.

Coordination of this donation drive was initiated and managed by Peace Builders, a local non-profit organization helping impoverished children around the world, including those in Southeast Asia. When the Tsunami hit, Peace Builders Director Diane Eskenazi was contacted by Sri Lankan children’s aid organizations in the beach communities surrounding Colombo asking for urgent help. Eskenazi contacted California Pacific Medical Center, which quickly organized the supplies to be sent. The shipment is being overseen by Sri Lankan Consul General Gamini Pemasiri to The Director General of Health Services in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Sutter physicians and hospitals share a common commitment to creating healthier communities through programs and services that respond to community needs. In 2003, the network invested $649 million in these programs as well as charity care.

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Contact
Christine McMurry
California Pacific Medical Center
(415) 809-4214 (pager)
mcmurrcx@sutterhealth.org