An organization at Iowa State has been responsible for gathering more than $20,000 of medical supplies and distributing them to international clinics and hospitals with the help of Study Abroad programs.

The Student International Medical Aid Club started last fall through the pre-medical program at Iowa State, has been gathering everything from scalpels to aspirin to be given to international countries that lack the basic infrastructure for a proper health care system, said club president Kristin Mawk, senior in microbiology.

The group started gathering supplies by “looking through the phone book,” Mawk said. Surplus medical supplies were collected from local hospitals and clinics around the state such as Omnicare and the Green County Medical Center.

The list of supplies the club had quickly grew to an inventory more than seven pages long and valued at around $20,000. “It was overwhelming. We didn’t expect that,” Mawk said.

The club decided to send supplies to Bolivia through information given by Curamericas, a North Carolina-based organization that provides support to countries in North and South America that lack proper health care.

Students who were studying abroad in Bolivia transported the supplies by each carrying 15-pound duffle bags to the country.

Mawk said the rest of the supplies were transported to Curamerica’s home office and they are planning on gathering more supplies in the spring. The club is looking to expand its services to orphanages in Russia.

The group is planning on having guest speakers come to Iowa State next semester to promote student awareness and expand their range of resources.

Every country has different needs, which makes it difficult to transport medical goods, said John Paschen, a physician at the McFarland clinic and a donor to the club.

Paschen has made missionary trips to St. Lucia, an island in the Caribbean, and Guatemala. Paschen said the main problem with sending medical supplies is often the hospitals were treated as a “dumping ground” and were given things they didn’t need, such as urine cups.

Paschen said donors can help the hospitals by calling ahead of time and inquiring what they need. “They’re the ones who know what they need,” Paschen said.

The club currently has five active members with other members involved in Study Abroad programs.

“Everyone involved is really glad to be a part of this because we know these medical supplies are going to improve somebody’s life that maybe wouldn’t have had a chance,” Mawk said.