Since opening the Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas last August, we have had several donations of FREE medical supplies to the Center. The picture below is of our largest donation so far – over 9 crates loaded with boxes full of free medical supplies!
How do we do it? Click to learn how!
Every time I meet a representative of a local hospital I ask them what they do with their expired medical supplies? Nine times out of ten the response is “we just throw them away”! Expired supplies are perfect for Healthcare Simulation & Skills Labs as we are using the supplies for educational purposes, most of the time on manikins or task trainers. I usually offer to swing by the hospital and pick up expired supplies, making it easy for them and win for us. Saving money on the supply budget means we can be in the black for supplies longer, and possibly even put those funds into other needed areas at the center.
Inform your coworkers to put the message out there in your community that you can take and put to really good use all expired medical supplies. Chances are before you know it someone will be giving you a call with an offer that is too good to be true. Not only did this method bring us a 9-crate shipment of supplies, but I have heard this working just as well for other simulation labs as well!
And if you haven’t received any strong leads yet use google to find medical suppliers in your area. Give them a call and let them know you could take expired supplies off their hands AND support their local hospital or educational facility. They will be happy to help, even sometimes offering to deliver it themselves!
Just remember Sim Labs have an exception to the rule that “beggars can’t be choosers”. Don’t except hazardous waste materal as ‘part of the deal’, or other items not usable at a simulation lab, like real medications or medical liquids. As much as possible our staff tries to check and make sure that offers are usable items at the Center before accepting the donation.
Nothing feels better than seeing free usable high demand items show up at your doorstep!
Let us all know if this tactic has worked for your Sim Lab by sharing a reply below…
