Workers and volunteers on Tuesday unloaded box after box of syringes, gloves, suction equipment, skin scrub trays, masks and gowns onto trucks from a UCHealth loading dock in Colorado Springs as part of an an effort to help the people of Ukraine during the war with Russia.

Two UCHealth locations — one in Colorado Springs, the other in Denver — collected about $200,000 in medical supplies to help Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia about two weeks ago. The supplies were purchased during the height of the COVID pandemic, and UCHealth officials said they saw an opportunity to donate the much-needed supplies while coronavirus cases have slowed down.

“We’re doing our part in helping in any way we can,” said Keith Bresciani, the UCHealth Southern Colorado inventory manager. “We can’t be there physically but we can supply the support that is needed. And this is what we thought we can do to help.”

The shipment will be expedited in hopes of arriving in Ukraine as quickly as in a few days, said Baret Walker, the executive director of Project C.U.R.E. in Denver, which is handling the delivery of the medical supplies. They will be used for trauma care in field hospitals during emergency situations, officials said.

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Project C.U.R.E., which started 35 years ago from an Evergreen garage, is the world’s largest distributor of donated medical equipment to countries across the globe. The nonprofit hopes its contacts and relationship with Poland can help get the supplies to western Ukraine in a timely fashion, Walker said.

“It’s an unthinkable humanitarian human crisis going on,” Walker said. “We know several of the hospitals and clinics we’ve traditionally served have been impacted. … Earlier this week, we heard 31 hospitals have been bombed. We are working now on outfitting field clinics and (population) centers and where we can get our supplies to.”

On Tuesday, 17 palates of medical supplies were loaded onto trucks from the UCHealth loading dock in Colorado Springs.

Thousands of people are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, though the actual number is unknown.

The U.S. believes Russia underestimated the strength of Ukraine’s resistance before launching its invasion and has suffered thousands of casualties, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers Tuesday in Washington.

UCHealth and Project C.U.R.E.’s efforts to send the supplies to Ukraine are not rooted in politics, officials said.

“There are people in need,” said Bresciani. “Whether we agree or disagree, they are in need. We have an ability to help them and it’s our due diligence to do that.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.