Global Links

Mission

Global Links is a medical relief and development organization dedicated to a two-fold mission of environmental stewardship and improving health in developing countries. Global Links collaborates with U.S. hospitals to redirect still useful materials away from the waste stream to public health improvement efforts in targeted countries throughout the hemisphere.

Programs

Global Links programs include: • Medical Aid Programs – Recipient institutions in our nine focus countries receive 40-foot sea containers of carefully selected medical supplies chosen to meet their specific needs. • Suture Donation Program – Recipient hospitals around the world receive an annual allotment of suture, a critical medical supply that is all too often lacking in hospitals. •Service Trip Programs - Global Links provides medical supplies for 40-50 mission/service trips each year.

Personnel Overview

Angela Garcia - Deputy Director
Angela Garcia has lived and worked in France, Belgium and Mexico, and since 2000 has focused on improving healthcare in developing countries through her work at Global Links. Ms. Garcia has traveled throughout Latin America to build relationships with medical and government officials, assess the needs of hospitals that receive Global Links donations, and judge the effectiveness of the donations.

Kathleen Hower - Executive Director
With two colleagues, Kathleen Hower founded Global Links in 1989 in order to address the need for basic medical supplies and equipment in developing countries. As Executive Director, Ms. Hower has led the dramatic growth of the organization. To date, Global Links has collected over 3,000 tons of medical supplies and donated over $155 million worth of goods to clinics in over 70 countries.

Andrea Arkin - Program Officer, Caribbean Region
Two years in El Salvador with the Peace Corps, developing and leading environmental, health and leadership campaigns for youth and adults, cemented Ms.Arkin's commitment to working in global health and development. At Global Links, she travels throughout the Caribbean to assess hospital needs, form relationships with government and medical personnel, and plan donations of medical materials.

Personnel Statistics

Kathleen Hower,
Executive Director & Co-founder
Founded in 1989
Employees: 18
Volunteers: 1500