Clinic in a can aids humanitarian efforts in Ukraine

PRESS RELEASE
by Ellie Melero
Aug. 5, 2022

BEL AIRE, Kan. – Bel Aire-based Clinic In A Can, in partnership with Heart to Heart International, will send eight  more fully equipped, solar powered medical clinics to Ukraine on Thursday and Friday to help with humanitarian efforts in the country amid its ongoing war with Russia.

Clinic In A Can, which manufactures modular medical solutions from refurbished shipping containers, built and equipped seven of the units as Emergency Room/Trauma units, to include digital x-ray and ultrasound machines, and one as a lab. Each unit was filled with hygiene kits that will be distributed to Ukrainians in need. The units and hygiene kits were paid for by Heart to Heart International and its sponsors.

Randy Loehr (left) and Mike Wawrzewski load hygiene kits, donated by Heart to Heart International, into an ER/Trauma Unit that will be sent to Ukraine.

Ellie Melero / Clinic In A Can

“It is one thing for Clinic In A Can to go into an area impacted by some natural disaster and provide relief,” said Mike Wawrzewski, founder  and CEO of Clinic In A Can. “Hurricanes and earthquakes are outside our human control. With Ukraine, this is an ongoing, man-made disaster. Sons and fathers, daughters and mothers are being killed on both sides. In the end, they are people who are loved and cherished by someone, and this Russian ‘special military operation’ doesn’t seem so special to those impacted by it.

“It is the least that we can do here in Kansas to provide a glimmer of hope, to share our compassion for people no matter what political or ideological viewpoint they hold. May God Bless these units, and may they provide relief to those directly impacted by this tragic conflict.”

This will be the second of three shipments sent to Ukraine. The first shipment of three medical units arrived in Ukraine July 8, and the last shipment of four units will be sent in late August or early September.

The first three medical units, already in use in Ukraine, were made up of two primary care units and one lab. They were filled with hygiene kits and food packs, which were distributed to displaced Ukrainians in affected areas. Hospitals of Hope donated the primary care units, and Worksite Labs donated the laboratory. Heart to Heart International donated the hygiene kits, Clinic In A Can donated the medical equipment and Heaven Sent Ministries donated the food packs.

The next four units, also sponsored by Heart to Heart International, will be solar powered maternal/infant units.

Clinic In A Can works to improve global access to healthcare by building high-quality medical units from shipping containers. The clinics, which are delivered ready for immediate use, are customizable and provide secure, climate-controlled environments for medical practitioners and patients. They can be powered through the electric grid, portable generators or solar power, allowing them to function in almost any environment and providing an ideal medical solution.

“Access to healthcare is a human right, and our mission is to help increase healthcare access globally with our ‘clinics in a can,’” Wawrzewski said. “Since I founded the company in 2004, we’ve sent units to 18 countries, from California to Kenya and now Ukraine. With God’s blessing, we’ll continue helping people get access to quality medical facilities for years to come.”