UMMS, JHM Partner to Deliver Medical Supplies To Ukraine

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) are making a coordinated donation of medical supplies worth more than $4 million to support the people of Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s military invasion.

The donation will help ensure doctors, nurses, medics and other clinicians can continue to deliver emergency medical care to both civilian and military personnel impacted by the ongoing violence.

Donated supplies include: Airway aspirators, medical air compressors, beds, oxygen concentrators, positive pressure ventilators, face masks and shields, respirator kits, gowns, gloves and syringes. These essential supplies will help emergency providers address some of the most urgent medical needs that have arisen from the violent attacks against military and civilian targets in Ukraine. UMMS and JHM have partnered with Project C.U.R.E. to coordinate the logistics and the delivery of donated medical supplies within Ukraine. UMMS worked with Project C.U.R.E. last May when the System donated more than $4.6 million worth of medical supplies to countries in Southeast Asia for COVID-19 relief.

“Right now, medical supplies most urgently needed are items that will allow medics and other caregivers to address a growing number of battlefield injuries among both military and civilian casualties, including children and other innocent bystanders. We are doing everything we can to respond to that need and plan to send additional supplies in the future,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and CEO of UMMS. “The people of Ukraine have demonstrated incredible bravery in the face of this terrible, unprovoked violence and they deserve the support from organizations like ours that are committed to the health and safety of all people.”

“To have worked for the last two years to protect and preserve lives during a global pandemic only to watch this descent into a war that is costing innocent people their lives is heartbreaking,” said Kevin W. Sowers, M.S.N., R.N., F.A.A.N., president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine. “At the core of who we are is a group of people who seek to honor and safeguard each human life. These medical supplies are not meant just to preserve and protect physical bodies but also serve to honor the human spirit of all Ukrainians who are fighting so valiantly to protect their loved ones and their country.”

Additionally, starting last Friday night and continuing until further notice, buildings on each UMMS campus and the Johns Hopkins Hospital dome on Orleans Street will be lit in blue and yellow colors to honor Ukraine and the resolve of the Ukrainian people.