Oregon couple ships thousands of pounds in medical supplies to Ukraine

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A Madison area doctor worked to get her family out of Ukraine at the start of the war back in February. Now, she and her family are putting in long hours to ship thousands of pounds of medical supplies to the country.

“When my family came here from Ukraine, we really redirected our efforts to help the rest of the family and friends and the rest of Ukraine,” said Dr. Nataliya Uboha. “The needs are not decreasing there.”

Uboha and her husband, Douglas Davis, continuously fill a trailer at their home in Oregon. They pack the trailer with medical supplies with the help of Uboha’s sister’s family (who have stayed with them since fleeing Ukraine). The supplies, from bandages to beds, are donated from area hospitals and organizations before it is driven down to a warehouse in Chicago. Davis says they partnered with the Illinois chapter of the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America for the project, operating out of Wisconsin.

“They had within the first week of the war started a grass-roots effort to mobilize medical resources,” said Davis.

At first, they worked to get the supplies to the Ukraine Ministry of Health but found more efficient solutions later.

“What we found over time is that a lot of the government organizations in Ukraine have their hands full,” said Davis, who adds they turned to volunteer contacts across the country. “They are able to be a little more swift and nimble at accepting our supplies, working out of multiple warehouses, so we don’t have to burden any one warehouse.”

Over roughly 10 months, Davis says over 50 tons of medical supplies have been shipped out of Chicago, and over 5 tons of it coming from the Madison area.

“We really function as part of a much bigger community, and that’s really what keeps us going,” said Uboha.

Uboha says the most significant need now is volunteer help sorting and packing supplies to prepare for shipping. The UMANA Facebook page posts volunteer opportunities to attend.

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