CALLED TO SERVE
Connecting Local and Global
As a local physician dedicated to the principles of One Health , I have no better friend in town than SOS International . “ One Health ,” a term coined in 1964 by a public health veterinarian , refers to the collaborative , transdisciplinary and transnational approach that recognizes that the health of people , animals and the environment are all connected . Championed by many in agriculture , animal health and climate science , those of us who only see humans may be less familiar with it . But once you think about it and everything that has happened to us as a planet in the last few years , it begins to make sense . How we conduct ourselves on Earth affects the Earth itself and all its inhabitants . It can be an overwhelming responsibility to add onto one ’ s already full plate as physician , which is why it was great for me to find an ally .
I call SOS International an ally in One Health because I have seen this organization , which was once known only for “ sending medical stuff overseas ,” embrace these ideals and pivot in several key ways to multiply its own good work . Initially , I , like many of you , just thought it was pretty neat that there was this quirky warehouse in town where I could shop for supplies to take with me on global health service trips . It was as necessary a pre-travel stop for me to restock on gloves , gauze , antiseptics and suture kits on my way to Tanzania or Ecuador as it was for me to check my passport expiration date or pull down my mosquito net from storage . When I would visit the warehouse , I would also check out the giant white board of shipping container plans to see where larger scale donated goods might be headed next : outfitting a mother-baby hospital in Uganda , supplying a clinic in Guatemala or bringing an anesthesia machine to Ghana . Truly practice-changing advances were headed to places where they would save lives .
I became a board member of SOS in 2019 and learned even more about the organization and its sprawling quest to make the most of every donation , every time . You may have found that they don ’ t often say no even to the strangest donations . But it can take some work to figure out what to do with expired tongue depressors , used wheelchairs or even used prosthetics . It is not useful or possible to ship a lot of those items overseas . However , in keeping with the One Health principle of reducing needless waste , SOS continues to think creatively about how these objects can be used locally . The Local
by BETHANY HODGE , MD , MPH
Health program has coordinated with veterinary offices to find them supplies that would be useful for animal care and school programs where these items can be used to teach pre-health care students or even used as art supplies . Just this year , SOS has diverted more than 254 tons of medical supplies from landfills .
Local / global and One Health have also come to the forefront in caring for our own in Kentucky through the COVID-19 pandemic , West Kentucky tornadoes , and East Kentucky flooding . SOS could have “ gone dark ,” like many international organizations , as travel froze and staying home became normal . But the calls from first responders and nursing homes for help with PPE and cleaning supplies started rolling in . A small SOS crew moved to channel warehouse supplies into helping people protect themselves and their loved ones from this new disease , even as our beloved volunteers were all sent home for their own safety .
The call to mobilize quickly and aid in quick turnaround rescue events have come again and again with the major weather-related catastrophes the Commonwealth has recently experienced . Those wheelchairs and walkers are finding new uses to help Kentuckians who have lost all their belongings to natural disasters . We developed a “ doctor ’ s office in a box ” with items that could quickly restock a primary care clinic and later heard they were being taken by Eastern Kentucky providers in the back seats of their cars as they went to the affected people in the hollers to provide on-site care . SOS ’ reputation for disaster response is now known across the state , and they are helping other organizations beyond Kentucky know how to respond to hurricanes and earthquakes .
My experience as a board member at this wonderful organization has been empowering and transformative . I get to see creativity and persistence being applied to major problems of fighting disease and inequity , both locally and globally , and I ’ ve been able to be a part of developing solutions as new challenges have come along . It ’ s a joy to go in and help sort bandages and ankle braces with Sue and Amy and all our stellar volunteers , knowing that we are diverting items from landfills to people who need them . It is exciting to be able to share this resource with other educators who are trying to provide high quality , hands-on experience for future health care workers . It ’ s a source of encouragement in these increasingly complex times to know that this ally is nearby and eager to find ways to help . The motto says they are in the business of “ Delivering a World of Health and Hope ,” and I have found that to be true .
Dr . Hodge is a local hospital pediatrician .
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