Our Mission
MedWish Medworks is a humanitarian nonprofit dedicated to advancing health equity and environmental sustainability.
We achieve this by providing essential care, redistributing surplus medical supplies, and connecting medically underserved communities with vital resources, in Northeast Ohio and around the world.
How We Got Here
Two Incredible Organizations, More Powerful Together
For years, MedWish and Medworks worked side by side—separate organizations rooted in the same belief: that access to medical care should never depend on circumstance. One focused on rescuing life-saving medical surplus and delivering it to communities with the greatest need. The other brought compassionate, no-questions-asked healthcare directly to people in our own backyard.
As healthcare inequities deepened locally and globally, it became increasingly clear that the challenges we were addressing were interconnected—and so were our solutions.
On September 1, 2024, after careful consideration and due diligence, MedWish and Medworks officially merged to become MedWish Medworks. MedWish Medworks continues to expand our supply distribution and local clinics while serving as a one-stop shop for free, multifaceted medical resource support. Our work is unduplicated in our region, offering a cost-effective solution to medical scarcity and barriers to access.
our Founding Stories
Different approaches, same heart for care.
MedWish International
As a college student, Dr. Lee Ponsky served as a surgical intern in Nigeria, where he witnessed the staggering lack of medical resources in developing countries and the devastating consequences it had on the local population.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., hospitals were discarding thousands of pounds of essential, life-saving medical supplies each year. Knowing much of what was discarded was still usable, Dr. Ponsky returned home to Cleveland, determined to create a pipeline of medical supplies for those in need globally, and founded MedWish International in 1993.
Partnering with healthcare facilities, manufacturers, and individual donors, MedWish began diverting usable medical surplus from landfills and making it available to low-resource communities around the world, bridging the gap between abundance and absence, surplus and scarcity. Although MedWish's work initially focused on supporting those in need internationally, in 2018, we expanded our mission to serve those in the United States as well.
Medworks
In the early 2000’s, Dr. Ponsky’s brother, Zac, participated in a MedWish Medical Brigade in Honduras. After a day of providing free healthcare in an impoverished community, Zac and several volunteers reflected on the day, noting the enormous needs in Cleveland as well. They knew that people in Cleveland could also benefit from free health services, and just like the volunteer team serving those in need in Honduras, this could be done in Cleveland. With this inspiration, Zac returned to Ohio and founded Medworks in 2009.
By engaging thousands of medical, dental, and community volunteers, Medworks addressed the lack of healthcare access for vulnerable populations in Northeast Ohio through 100% FREE pop-up clinics. Clinic services include medical, dental, and vision care, supporting those who are uninsured and underinsured. Care is provided to patients with no qualification questions asked. In 2018, Navigation services became a core component of Medworks programming when the Cuyahoga Health Access Partnership (CHAP) became part of the organization. Navigators work to connect individuals to ongoing care through health insurance, medical homes, and other needed social services.
The Vision & Values We Stand By
MedWish Medworks envisions a world free from healthcare disparities, where everyone has access to high-quality care and essential resources.
Harnessing the power of volunteerism and partnerships, we work to eliminate barriers to medical supplies, referrals, and care, empowering individuals to live healthier lives.
Humanitarian Focus
We are dedicated to providing medical aid to lessen the burden of people in need, regardless of religious or political affiliation.
Environmental Consciousness
We look for every opportunity to recover, recycle and redistribute all in-kind donations.
Community Benefit
We give back to the community through the use of local services, employment and partnerships.
Health Equity
We strive to connect everyone we serve with the healthcare they need and deserve.
Integrity
We do the right thing operationally, financially and socially.
Respect
With our employees, volunteers, and recipients at the forefront of all we do, we support an environment of respect, collaboration and safety.