– Louisville-based global health organization SOS has deployed pallets of surgical supplies, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and burn dressings to The Lebanese Red Cross in Beirut to help the city rebuild after the ammonium nitrate explosion caused at least 190 deaths and 6,500 injuries on August 4th. Air transportation of the supplies to Beirut, Lebanon, was provided by FedEx.

The Lebanese Red Cross will use the supplies at medical clinics assisting those injured by the explosion, including those needing medical attention from the estimated 300,000 people who are now homeless due to the blast.

“SOS was able to put together four large pallets of requested supplies that were shipped within a month of my request,” says Kathy Mershon. “As board chair of the Galen College of Nursing, I have been proud of the many volunteer hours contributed to SOS by our students and faculty. However, this shipment holds special meaning to me because my maternal grandparents immigrated from Lebanon to SC in 1913, and I still have relatives living there who are so grateful. They are living in desperate circumstances.”

SOS focuses on mitigating health disparities in underserved communities by providing critically needed medical supplies and health resources. SOS recovers surplus medical supplies and equipment from over 100 hospital partners and redistributes them to address the urgent need for help, whether that be to those affected by disasters, to medically impoverished communities across the globe, or to protect and improve lives here in Louisville.

To learn more about SOS, please call (502) 736-6360 or visit https://soshealthandhope.org/.