Philips, Philips Foundation, and MedShare Launch Program to Strengthen U.S. Healthcare Readiness for Natural Disasters
- Designed to establish a forward-thinking, disaster-preparedness model that ensures rapid response and continuity of care during emergencies
- Provides financial aid along with advanced ultrasound systems and essential mother-and-child care products to meet urgent needs in disaster-affected areas
In an innovative initiative to improve disaster preparedness and response, Philips, Philips Foundation, and nonprofit MedShare International are collaborating to tackle the healthcare challenges caused by natural disasters.
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Hurricane Rescue Operation
Unlike traditional reactive disaster response programs, this initiative prioritizes disaster preparedness as a strategy to save lives and create continuity of care. MedShare will have Philips medical equipment and other essential products on hand, ensuring these resources are available for rapid deployment when natural disasters disrupt access to healthcare. Prompted by the critical need highlighted during Hurricane Helene in 2024 [1], this strategic partnership has been designed to supply essential medical equipment and supplies to enable continuity of care to people and communities in need during times of crisis.
"By working hand-in-hand with Philips and the Philips Foundation, we're not only staging life-saving medical equipment for rapid deployment following disasters, but we're also reimagining sustainability in emergency response," said Stacey Koehnke, CEO and Executive Director of MedShare International. "Together, we're building an innovative, resilient, forward-looking system that saves lives today and strengthens response capacity for the challenges of tomorrow."
The need for a proactive and sustainable approach to disaster response has never been more urgent. Natural disasters are increasingly compromising access to healthcare across the United States, with nearly 400 climate disasters causing over $1 billion in damages each in the past 45 years [2], causing severe damage to so many families and communities.
Philips North America is contributing ultrasound systems capable of cardiac, vascular, obstetric and gynecological imaging. These technologies, to be staged and deployed by MedShare, are supported by field service engineers for installation, maintenance and de-installation to ensure effective deployment in challenging environments. Additionally, the donation of essential mother-and-child care products such as feeding bottles and pacifiers will help to address urgent needs in disaster-affected areas.
"Every human life holds immeasurable value, and that belief drives everything we do," said Jeff DiLullo, Chief Region Leader, Philips North America. "In times of crisis, access to quality healthcare becomes even more critical. Our partnership with MedShare and the Philips Foundation reflects our deep commitment to using innovation and collaboration to protect and uplift vulnerable communities when they need us most."
Philips Foundation will provide financial aid and strategic guidance, drawing on over a decade of experience in disaster relief. In 2024 alone, the Foundation helped respond to major crises across the world, including the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in Japan and the devastating floods in Brazil, Poland, and Spain, by ensuring the rapid delivery of critical medical equipment and services.
Eddine Sarroukh, Head of the Philips Foundation, stated: "By combining Philips' healthcare expertise with MedShare's extensive network, we are responding to disasters and building a resilient system that supports continuity of care for the most vulnerable communities. It's great that we are teaming up with a like-minded partner to establish a disaster-preparedness model for rapid response and continuity during emergencies, we hope to see scaled."
This two-year pilot program will serve as a model for future expansion, with a focus on durability and scalability. A key component of the program is the reusability of the donated medical equipment, which will be shipped back to MedShare for reprocessing and redeployment after each emergency. This approach not only maximizes the impact of each device but also sets a new standard, supporting reuse and encouraging environmentally practices in disaster response.
[1] Fierce Healthcare (2025). 'We can't do this alone': Hospitals share lessons from Hurricane Helene to prepare for extreme weather events
[2] NOAA (2024). Billion-dollar weather and climate disasters
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG, AEX: PHIA)) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips' patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2024 sales of EUR 18 billion and employs approximately 67,300 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
About Philips Foundation
Philips Foundation is a registered non-profit organization established in 2014 – with a mission to provide access to quality healthcare for underserved communities across the globe. By leveraging Philips' capabilities and combining them with the experience and expertise of non-governmental organizations and other community-focused and impact-driven enterprises, Philips Foundation helps create innovative pathways to open up affordable healthcare for communities most in need. By also partnering with innovative social entrepreneurs rooted in the local ecosystem, Philips Foundation aims to increase access to healthcare for 100 million people a year by 2030. More information can be found at www.philips-foundation.com
About MedShare
MedShare, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a 501c(3) humanitarian aid organization dedicated to improving access to healthcare for underserved populations in the U.S. and around the world. By sourcing and delivering quality surplus medical supplies and equipment, MedShare works to strengthen vulnerable healthcare systems, enhance clinical capacity, and improve the overall health outcomes of communities in need. For more information, visit the organization's website at www.medshare.org.
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For further information, please contact:
Avi Dines
Philips North America
Tel.: +17816903814
[email protected]
Yannick Eshuijs
Philips Foundation
Tel. : +31 1852 6633
E-mail: [email protected]