Medical Bridges

Connecting those who have with those who hope

aka Medical Bridges   |   HOUSTON, TX   |  https://www.medicalbridges.org/

Mission

Medical Bridges mission is to bridge the healthcare gap worldwide by procuring and distributing medical equipment and supplies to undeserved communities.

Ruling year info

1997

President & CEO

Mr. Walter Ulrich

Main address

2706 MAGNET ST

HOUSTON, TX 77054 USA

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EIN

76-0548161

NTEE code info

Health Support Services (E60)

Recycling (C27)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Access to healthcare worldwide.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Global Medical Surplus Resource Organization

Providing desperately needed medical equipment and lifesaving supplies to clinics and hospitals in impoverished communities throughout the developing world.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Economically disadvantaged people

Where we work

Accreditations

MedSurplus Alliance Accreditation 2017

Awards

Awards for Excellence 2020

Better Business Bureau

Diversity in Business Award 2021

Houston Business Journal

Awards for Excellence 2019

Better Business Bureau

Affiliations & memberships

MedSurplus Alliance 2017

Videos

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

We seek to continue bridging the worldwide healthcare gap by connecting those who have with those who hope.

While Medical Bridges cannot eliminate all of the world's healthcare disparities, we improve the quality of life for those whom we touch by procuring and distributing quality medical surplus equipment and supplies to qualified healthcare providers in the developing world.

It is our intent to:
Always be mission centered and customer focused; recruit and maintain a committed and effective board of directors; ensure quality order fulfillment; build and maintain positive relationships with all stakeholder groups via appropriate media; provide open communication and consistent interaction with our overseas partners; ensure effective and transparent management of financial and human resources.

Medical Bridges is governed by an active and involved board of directors; they are recruited from all sectors of the Houston community and beyond to provide effective and appropriate governance and operational leadership. All paid staff are selected for their knowledge, experience, and expertise in their respective fields. Together, we ensure effective daily operations that result in more healthcare professionals in the developing world receiving the medical equipment and supplies they need to provide care in their communities.

Multiple-year / multiple-shipment agreements have helped to provide our overseas partners with the necessary medical supplies and equipment to provide consistent, sustainable quality healthcare and improved access to their services. Medical Bridges is successful "connecting those who have with those who hope."

Sustainable healthcare in the developing world is critical to preserve human dignity. We are seeking to enhance and expand our community outreach to build awareness of and support for the medically indigent populations around the globe so that we can keep our supply chain of donated medical surplus active and robust.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Medical Bridges works with local and international partners to identify the health care needs of those around the world.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    SMS text surveys, Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person),

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    In 2019 one of our NGO partners received a piece of medical equipment that they were unable to use. This led to a new process where prior to filmization of the packing list, a copy of these documents are now sent to the NGO and receiving partner for final approval to ensure all items included in their shipment can be used.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    Our staff, Our board, Our funders,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    Medical Bridges is here to serve, so by receiving feedback, analyzing and improving our processes we are ensuring we can meet the needs of those we serve. It is Medical Bridges' commitment to listen and adapt as need to improve the healthcare of those served by our partners.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback,

Financials

Medical Bridges
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Medical Bridges

Board of directors
as of 02/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Bryan Lastrapes

Moelis & Company

Term: 2019 - 2022

Patti Brock

MD Anderson

Mary Neal

San Jose Clinic Community Volunteer

Bryan Lastrapes

Moelis

Peggy Goetz

Legacy Community Health

Denise Castillo-Rhodes

Texas medical Center

Hayne Blakely

Blakely Engineering

Kimberly Cotner-David

Baylor College of Medicine

Craig Nunez

Natural Resource Partners LLP

Michael Weill

Global Deepwater Partners

John Zipprich II

Community Volunteer

Carl Stutts

Community Volunteer

Greg Phillips

Phillips Kaiser

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/23/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/23/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.