Press Releases

MedShare International Announces Kimberly-Clark's Four-Year Commitment to Ship Medical Supplies To Latin America

ATLANTA, GA - October 7, 2008 - MedShare International, a non-profit organization dedicated to supplying medical equipment to economically-developing countries, announced today a four-year commitment by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation [NYSE: KMB] to sponsor 36 shipments of excess medical supplies and equipment to hospitals in Latin America.

This donation, valued at $576,000, builds on a 10-year relationship born from a common goal to recoup unused medical equipment and supplies from local sources and send them to emerging countries in Latin America. Throughout the relationship, Kimberly-Clark has sponsored 47 containers with product valued at more than $6.2 million dollars to more than 25 different hospitals in nine countries.

"As MedShare's first corporate donor, Kimberly-Clark has supported our mission of bridging the gap of surplus and need to improve healthcare and the environment by sponsoring shipments, encouraging employee volunteers to assist in container packaging and holding a leadership position on our Board of Trustees," said, A.B. Short, CEO and Co-Founder of MedShare International. "They continue to recognize the benefit of moving equipment, large and small, to the areas and people in the world that need it."

MedShare's unique supply and demand model matches surplus supplies with the needs of each individual hospital.  Instead of shipping containers with an identical inventory across the world, MedShare customizes each 40-foot container through a proprietary Web-based inventory system that lets hospitals request only the supplies and equipment needed.

By ensuring all excess equipment is used, MedShare gives hospitals and manufacturers an attractive alternative to dumping items in a landfill. Since its inception, MedShare has saved more than one million cubic feet of space in U.S. landfills, representing more than three million pounds of supplies and equipment.

"MedShare's pledge to address crucial healthcare and sustainability issues matches Kimberly-Clark's commitment to deliver the best clinical solutions in hospitals around the world," said Joanne Bauer, president of Kimberly-Clark's Health Care sector and member of the MedShare Board of Trustees. "Our relationship with MedShare is a key step in ensuring all patients have the right equipment for their needs." 

The Kimberly-Clark donation will serve hospitals in Kimberly-Clark's Latin American hometown communities while MedShare continues support shipments in additional communities throughout the world. The organization recently opened a west coast operation to support hospitals in Asia and the Pacific Rim.

About MedShare International
MedShare International, a 501- ( c ) -3 non-profit organization, provides vital medical supplies and equipment to economically developing countries by recycling unneeded surplus from U.S. manufacturers, distributors and healthcare systems.  MedShare recovers and delivers medical goods which are valuable and needed, but which would be discarded due to procedural excess, regulatory requirements or production overage.  Shipments go to qualified healthcare facilities in developing countries and are customized by direct product orders from MedShare's stock by the recipient institutions. MedShare offers U.S. healthcare providers and suppliers an environmentally and socially responsible alternative to throwing away medical materials.  Its homepage is www.medshare.org.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world's population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 136-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com.