Created in 1989, Global Links was founded by three women who had worked together in the mid-‘1980s and had each traveled extensively. They created a not-for-profit organization that would concentrate on providing medical aid to institutions around the world. Within the first two years, the trio decided to center the majority of Global Links’ U.S. efforts on developing relationships with hospitals rather than manufacturers. U.S. medical manufacturers are solicited heavily by many international aid organizations. Merely placing another organization in the mix only reduces the amount of available goods. Alternatively, U.S. hospitals provide a relatively untapped source of materials that otherwise would be put into landfills. Redirecting these materials benefits healthcare facilities in need as well as the environment.

Limited resources and a growing relationship with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) led the founders and board members to concentrate Global Links’ large-scale efforts in the Western Hemisphere, in Latin America and the Caribbean, while keeping our suture donation program international. We work in a structured, programmatic way in a finite number of countries.

In 1999, one of the three founding members, Kathleen Hower, assumed the Chief Executive Officer position and continues to lead the organization.