The Brief
- More than $1 million in Winter Haven medical supplies intended for disaster relief are trapped in storage units as expiration dates approach.
- A Polk County native founded the Ssubi Foundation to collect donated hospital equipment and deliver humanitarian aid across the globe.
- Strict international import regulations currently block shipments to South America, prompting an urgent search for local partners to distribute supplies.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A Polk County native is racing to find new distribution partners before more than $1 million in donated medical supplies sit in storage units and expire.
Winter Haven Medical Supplies Trapped
What we know:
Boxes filled with hospital supplies and emergency equipment currently fill storage units across Winter Haven and Miami.
Ssubi Foundation founder Laura Luxemburg, who grew up in Polk County, collected more than $1 million worth of supplies from hospitals for disaster relief efforts.
The materials were bound for Venezuela and Colombia, but an organization there blocked entry due to rules requiring a 12- to 18-month window before expiration dates. Foreign countries updated these regulations to guarantee receiving usable items rather than trash, marking the first time Luxemburg encountered this issue.…