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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 27 A U G U S T 1 0 , 2 0 2 0 I n the 1980s, Elizabeth McLellan worked as a nurse administrator at a trauma center in Saudi Arabia. She had the opportunity to visit a hospital in Pakistan. ere, she observed a surgeon just arrived from the operating room. He treated a man's wound with a used bandage, wiped his hands onto his blood-stained scrubs, then continued to the next patient. It was clear the hospital lacked basic supplies such as gauze, gloves and bandages. Nurses reused needles and handwashing sinks were missing. "I thought, 'How can this be, when we have so much in the United States that we're throwing away every day?'" she recalls. "I thought, 'Someday, I'm going to do something about this.'" As the founder and president of Partners for World Health, she's done just that. e Portland nonprofit reclaims and organizes medical supplies and equipment from medical facilities to redistribute to facilities in need in developing countries and in Maine. It's grown from McLellan's single- handed initiative to an organization of 10 employees and over 500 volunteers each year. In 2019, they shipped more than a dozen 40-foot containers, each carrying 15,000 pounds of supplies; 18 containers are planned for 2020. Overall, through partnerships with 202 medical facilities in northern New England, Partners for World Health has shipped over 337 tons to 58 devel- oping countries. Additionally, the nonprofit supports its own and other medical missions overseas and McLellan mentors stu- dents and nurses and developed a com- munity service-learning program involv- ing high school and college students. In response to the pandemic, Partners for World Health has been making its resources available to health care facilities and first responders in New England communities. Over the last few months, it has donated thousands of N95 masks along with gloves, personal protective equipment, ventilators and other items. It enlisted home-based volunteers to sew masks and gowns made of donated blue steril- ization wrap that are distributed to local health care workers and first responders. Just keep going "Ten years ago, there was no plan," McLellan says. "Sometimes, things just unfold. You step over the next bump and you keep going." Raised in Camden, McLellan's mother was a nurse and her father a physician. She began her career as a registered nurse in 1976, work- ing at medical centers in Boston and New Hampshire and earning degrees in nursing, public health and nursing administration from American University, Northeastern University, University of Southern Maine and Boston University School of Medicine (and an honorary doctor- ate of public service from St. Joseph College in 2015). In 1986, she applied for a nursing administration position in Saudi Arabia. "I have a sense of adventure," she says. "I remember thinking, 'What a great opportunity.'" Discarded supplies Over the next eight years, side trips to Pakistan and elsewhere made her aware of clinics and hospitals in devel- oping countries where supplies were limited. When she returned to the U.S. to continue her clinical management career at Maine Medical Center, she saw first-hand the amount of discarded supplies destined for disposal. In 2007, in her position and with extensive contacts with nurses on the floor, she orchestrated the gathering of supplies left behind in exam and patient rooms. At first storing the supplies in her home, within two years she collected 11,000 pounds of wheel- chairs, crutches, wound care materials, gauze, syringes, tape, depends, gowns, alcohol wipes and more. In 2009, she rented storage space. Word spread of her efforts. Soon, volunteers arrived to move everything into the new space and organize it for distribution. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » I thought, 'Someday, I'm going to do something about this. — Elizabeth McLellan Maine's credit unions are here for you. mainecreditunions.org Working Together for Your Success Maine credit unions know how important local businesses are. And we know what it takes to be successful. From savings, checking and loans to convenient services like mobile and online banking, and remote deposits, we are financial partners that are committed to you. Partners for World Health 40 Walch Drive, Portland Founded: 2009 Number of employees: 10; volunteers (2019) over 300 Contact: info@partnersforworldhealth.org / www.partnersforworldhealth.org

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