About clinic in a can
we believe Geography shouldn’t be the deciding factor iF someone lives or dies
At clinic in a can, our mission is to improve global healthcare access by building high-quality, self-sustainable medical structures from recycled shipping containers.
Years ago, a Kenyan man told me the story of his sister, who had come home to have her first baby. While home, she began running a fever. The family decided to take her to the nearest hospital, which was over 10 miles away across rough terrain. Utilizing their only method of transportation, a wheelbarrow, the family took turns pushing and pulling their ailing relative and unborn child. Somewhere between their village and the hospital, she and the baby died. Over the years, we have heard many such stories and witnessed their effects first-hand.
Too often, people suffer and die needlessly because they don’t have access to simple medical treatment.
Michael Wawrzewski, founder and CEO of CIAC, treats a man in a hospital in Liberia, West Africa.
Many seek to build traditional hospitals for communities in developing countries. I was among them; in 1998, I founded Hospitals of Hope and built a Level II hospital in Vinto, Bolivia. This experience made me realize, though, that the cost, time and government limitations often make building traditional hospitals impractical and unobtainable. But in spite of these obstacles, something must be done to bring help and hope to communities in which no healthcare facilities exist within a distance of an hour or even a day.
I conceived the idea for Clinic In A Can in 2002 as a solution to this problem. We seek to transform communities by manufacturing affordable and relocatable medical facilities, equipping local doctors and nurses with the tools they need to do what they do best: care for those in need. We have taken great pains to develop our clinics from the highest quality components, with sustainability and longevity in mind.
Over the years, we’ve helped increase healthcare access in 18 countries, sending everything from ER/Trauma Units to Pharmacies. With you’re help, we can continue providing people with access to quality healthcare for years to come.
— Michael Wawrzewski, Founder and CEO
The first Clinic in a Can was sent to Haiti in 2010.