UVM medical students launch drive to collect medical supplies for Ukraine

Dan D'Ambrosio, Burlington Free Press
·2 min read

Two first-year medical students at UVM's Larner College of Medicine are launching a drive to collect medical supplies for the people of Ukraine.

On Saturday, Caitlin Marassi and Ellen Mats are starting a three-week medical donation drive, called Vermont for Ukraine, with a donation drop-off event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Church Street in Burlington outside of Vermont Flannel.

Ukraine is entering the second month of an invasion by Russia that has led to many civilian casualties and the destruction of residential areas in major cities.

Marassi and Mats have formed a partnership with Razom, a New York-based nonprofit formed in 2014 to "build a better future for Ukraine," according to its website. Razom in turn has a partnership with Meest America, a Ukrainian shipping company that can get the gathered supplies where they need to go.

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A list of needed supplies is posted on the Vermont for Ukraine website. Marassi and Mats ask that donors only bring items that are on the list. The list is extensive and includes everything from adhesive bandages to more difficult items to obtain, such as a mobile X-ray and portable ultrasound. The two students have also set up a GoFundMe site, where funds will go directly to Razom to help cover shipping costs.

Wrapped pallets of medical supplies destined for the Ukraine are ready to be shipped at the Meest-America Warehouse in Port Reading, New Jersey, Wednesday, March 16, 2022. The two UVM medical students who are launching a medical supply drive for Ukraine are also using Meest-America to ship whatever they're able to collect.
Wrapped pallets of medical supplies destined for the Ukraine are ready to be shipped at the Meest-America Warehouse in Port Reading, New Jersey, Wednesday, March 16, 2022. The two UVM medical students who are launching a medical supply drive for Ukraine are also using Meest-America to ship whatever they're able to collect.

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While donations such as bandages obviously need to be new, Marassi said in an email there was such an urgent need for medical diagnostic equipment that the Ukrainians would "love anything they can get." She said the highest priority items are as follows:

  • Coagulation machine

  • Mobile X-ray machine

  • Portable ultrasound device

  • AED machines

  • Defibrillators

  • Laparoscopic equipment for abdominal and thoracic surgery

  • WoundVac machine, plus dressings

  • Orthopedic fixators

Marassi said in her email that she and Mats wanted to do something to help the people of Ukraine.

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"Being medical students, we naturally felt that helping the medical community in Ukraine in some way would make the biggest impact," Marassi said.

For more information: vermontforukraine.com

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 802-849-0497 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Medical supply drive: UVM medical students launch effort for Ukraine