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Mission and Guiding Principles

Mission

Global Links is a Pittsburgh-based non-profit dedicated to improving health in communities with need.  Since 1989 we have been sharing surplus rescued from the US healthcare system. We collaborate with government officials, healthcare professionals, community organizations and community leaders to develop projects that support public health goals both internationally and domestically by improving access to quality healthcare and needed materials.

Guiding Principles

Global Links’ humanitarian and environmental mission begins with our three guiding principles:

  • Dignity and Respect for All People
  • Respect for the Environment
  • Continuous Learning and Improvement

We seek to apply these principles in everything we do. 

Respect for the environment is one of Global Links’ guiding and founding principles. Our co-founders forged a model to rescue the tremendous amount of useful medical surplus that was being discarded and connect that surplus with the dire need for these same materials in communities lacking resources globally and locally. Our resulting circular economy model of medical surplus rescue and donation places equal emphasis on both parts of our mission: supporting health for underserved populations and promoting environmentally sustainable practices in healthcare and beyond.

Global Links works to achieve our goals while keeping our overall environmental impact as low as possible.

  • We provide US hospitals and the community with a socially and environmentally responsible alternative to discarding surplus medical supplies and equipment, rescuing an average of 250 tons of high-quality surplus medical materials every year.
  • In 2020 as part of Phase I of our Road to Energy Independence, we installed a solar array with 162 bi-facial panels on the roof of our headquarters. We expected the array to generate 82% of our energy needs. Phase I was made possible with guidance from the Pennsylvania Solar Center and a sustainability grant from Green Mountain Energy Sun Club as well as a financing tool by Scalo Solar Solutions LLC who handled installation.
  • As part of Phase II of our Road to Energy Independence in 2022, with additional funding from Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, we replaced more than 250 light fixtures and over 700 bulbs with bright, high efficiency LED lighting, reducing our energy needs dramatically.  With Phase II complete we expect to produce 100% of our own energy needs, and reach Net Zero.
  • We focus on working in the Western hemisphere, minimizing our carbon footprint.
  • A local trucking company donates empty space on their return trips to Pittsburgh to bring us surplus donations from other cities – generating no new emissions.
  • We do not want to create a waste disposal burden for any of the communities where we work and we engage in detailed consultations with our partners to assure that all items will be useful.
  • We do not handle products containing mercury, a neurotoxin and an environmental burden.
  • We prioritize purchasing any product or service from local vendors to minimize our transportation footprint and to infuse resources into locally owned small businesses.
  • When possible, we purchase products without fragrance or other harmful ingredients.

Our Partners in Sustainability

Global Links affirms our foundational commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. These important themes are at the forefront of our minds and our work and are woven throughout all we do. Respect for all people and the environment guides our mission. We recognize everyone has value and deserves to be included equitably. We recognize everyone is our neighbor and we are dedicated to helping all people live with dignity, independence, mobility, and in good health. We will call out inequities and injustice and work to lift up all.