Frequently Asked Questions
Here's a list of the most common questions we receive each week. Please e-mail or call us at 800.959.4325 if your question is not answered here.
What are your office hours? - Tigard, Oregon Office: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Redmond, Washington Office: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What are the hours of operation for the Portland REAL. LIFE. Exhibit? How can I schedule a tour? - Weekday hours: Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. by reservation only.
- Weekend and evening hours: Varies by the month. Please see the schedule for details.
- You can schedule a tour on our website or call 503.624.1216.
What are the hours of operation for the Redmond REAL. LIFE. Exhibit? How can I schedule a tour? - Open by reservation only.
- You can schedule a tour on our website or call 425.454.8326.
Do you serve all people, regardless of their religious beliefs? Yes. We care for everyone in need. Aid recipients are not asked to participate in faith-based activities in order to receive medical care or supplies.
Is Medical Teams International sponsored by a certain church or denomination? No. We are not affiliated with any group—we're an independent nonprofit organization. Many individuals and organizations support us, including churches.
Donations
What kind of donations do you accept? We accept many types of over-the-counter medicines, medical supplies and medical equipment. For a list of items we accept, please refer to our Medical Supply Needs List [PDF]. Please check the expiration date on dated items because we cannot accept items that expire within one year. We regret that we also cannot accept personal prescription medications because of legal restrictions that prevent us from distributing these medicines to others. We do not accept food or clothes.
How to donate medicines, supplies or equipment: Individuals – we are able to receive donated over-the-counter medicines, medical supplies and medical equipment at our distribution centers in Tigard, Oregon and Redmond, Washington. For questions about individual donations please call 503.343.3366 or 425.284.1943.
Hospitals and Clinics in Oregon and Washington – For pick-ups at local hospitals or clinics please call 503.343.3366 (Oregon) or 425.284.1943 (Washington).
Medical and Pharmaceutical Companies – Please contact our Commodity Support Team at 503.624.1018 to determine appropriate types of donations and schedule inbound shipments.
Donation Locations -- Our distribution centers are located in Tigard, Oregon and Redmond, Washington. We are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays-Fridays except on holidays. It is not necessary for individuals to schedule a drop-off for donations. While we can arrange pick-ups from hospitals and clinics in Oregon and Washington, we regret that we are unable to pick-up donations from individuals.
Please bring or ship individual donations to:
Medical Teams International
14150 SW Milton Court
Tigard, OR 97224
503.343.3366
Medical Teams International
9680 153rd Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98052
425.284.1943
Are my donations tax-deductible? Yes, your donations are tax-deductible as allowable by U.S. law. We are a 501(c)3 organization. We acknowledge every donation with a receipt for your tax records. If you happen to misplace your original copy, please call 503.624.1000 to request a replacement.
Do you accept used medical equipment? Yes. We accept the following equipment in good condition: walkers, wheelchairs, crutches and walking canes. We are unable to accept other equipment because many of these items will break down because they need ongoing maintenance and parts that are not available in the field.
Do you accept personal unused prescription medication? No. We cannot accept personal prescriptions due to legal restrictions.
Do you accept vehicle donations? Yes, we DO accept vehicle donations, through our partner V-DAC.com.
Will anyone ever call me to ask for a donation from Medical Teams International? Most of the time, we call to thank you for your contributions to our programs. Our development officers may occasionally call you to ask you to support a specific project or help during a disaster. This November, we have asked Gateway Communications in Portland, Oregon to call our supporters to share with them updates on our work for safe and healthy moms all over the world.
We will post any changes to this policy on our website.
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Volunteering
I'd like to volunteer internationally. Who do I talk to? Visit our International Volunteer page to learn about opportunities and requirements. Call our International Volunteer Hotline at 800.959.4325, ext. 1201 or e-mail us.
I'd like to volunteer at your Oregon, Washington or Minnesota offices. Who do I talk to? Review our USA-based volunteer opportunities page. Call our Volunteer Hotline at 800.959.4325, ext. 3336, for more information.
Do you have student internship positions at headquarters? Yes. Medical Teams International offers unpaid student internships for credit or non-credit in the administration, international programs, development and communications departments. Check our current internship openings.
What's the difference between a Disaster Response volunteer and a Community Development volunteer? Disaster Response volunteers respond to emergency situations like natural disasters, wars and other desperate circumstances. Teams typically serve for 1 month. These volunteers must be licensed/certified medical personnel with significant developing-nations experience. Our staff hand-select team members based on their experience and the needs in the field. Read more about our Disaster Response work
Community Development volunteers plan their teams several months in advance. They work to build capacity in the community and often hold training seminars for local health professionals. These teams pay their own way and work with our local partners. We review each of our applicant's credentials and send volunteers whose skills match the needs of our partners.
Do I need to be a Christian to volunteer? No. If you can support our mission, we welcome you to volunteer.
Do you take naturopaths? No. We are not currently sending naturopaths because our partners are not requesting this specialty.
I filled out the volunteer application, but haven't been placed on a team yet. When you know which team you are interested in, please contact the appropriate team coordinator so they can talk with you about potential placement on the team. Also, please see our current team openings.
How long do volunteers serve? Typically, our teams serve between 1 - 4 weeks. We do have some placements for 3 - 6 months, depending on the project.
Do I have to speak the local language? No. Although speaking a local language is helpful, it is not required. We DO provide translators when necessary and/or when possible.
What measures do you take to ensure that I'll be safe? Volunteer safety is our top priority.
- We require that every volunteer complete our online International Volunteer Orientation before departing. This course provides all of the necessary information for volunteer service abroad.
- We also require volunteers to review a country-specific safety manual before their departure.
- We recommend our volunteers register with their national Embassy before departing in case of an emergency.
- Our country offices and local partners each have a security plan in place.
Do you take unlicensed students? Yes, but only to serve as a lay worker. We typically send unlicensed medical or dental students on teams with licensed professionals.
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Mobile Dental
My tooth hurts, can I get an appointment on the Mobile Dental van? Please call our Mobile Dental Hotline. The Hotline numbers are:
For Oregon, dial 503.624.1026.
For Washington, dial 425.284.1950.
For all other areas, dial toll-free 1.800.959.4325, extension 1026.
Our program provides urgent care dental services to low-income patients who lack dental insurance or any realistic way to pay for the care they need. We typically do not provide dentures, bridges, root canals, cleanings or other specialty services.
Where's the Mobile Dental van today? We operate dental clinics throughout Oregon, Washington and Minnesota. Our vans visit many different site partner locations, but we do not publish a schedule since most dental clinics are only open to the patients already working with each site partner. We do not schedule appointments from our offices. Please call our Mobile Dental Hotline, at one of the numbers above, to receive more information.