Medical missions typically brings to mind images of impoverished third-world citizens receiving medical treatment and live-saving drugs.

An Upstate doctor and a pharmacist, through a nonprofit organization called Omer Medical Logistics, have decided to take medical missions to the next level by bringing patient safety more clearly into the picture.

Francis Nuthalapathy, a maternal-fetal medicine physician and the organization’s president, said the idea was brought to him by cofounder Roger Blackwell, a pharmacist who serves as vice president of operations for the ministry. Both men are members of Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Taylors.

Blackwell met someone who wanted to donate medications left over from one mission trip to another group. The problem was that the drugs were unlabeled, with no expiration dates or patient-advisory information.

That awoke a concern about patient safety: How does one give 30 pills to someone who speaks another language and explain how to take the medication and understand the possible side effects? “We need to really focus on patient safety,” Nuthalapathy said. “That idea hasn’t yet penetrated into medical missions.”

In its first phase, Omer Logistics began offering a vitamin repackaging service last summer. Patient-dose packages are labeled in the native language with pictographs for non-readers.

Volunteers gather once a month at the group’s Garlington Road repackaging room in Greenville to put together the packets. Since August of last year, they have sent out about half a million vitamins to 10 countries with instructions provided in six languages.

Nuthalapathy said they are able to purchase the vitamins at a discount, and, even after adding a small surcharge to help fund the organization, they are still able to resell the vitamins for far less than retail. The next goal is to offer over-the-counter medications.

The startup was funded in 2013 when the National Christian Foundation provided a $125,000 grant to match the $125,000 the two men had raised to get the first phase of the program going. “We plan to make it a self-sustaining organization,” Nuthalapathy said.

In the future, Omer Logistics plans to offer additional services. The partners would like to be able to put together medic packs and to purchase expensive equipment that medical missions teams can use.

Nuthalapathy and Blackwell also want to put technology and database systems in place so that missions volunteers will have access to critical information about the areas they will be visiting.

“The main goal is that we want to make it easier for evangelical outreach to occur,” Nuthalapathy said.

He said there was an “unbelievable” amount of red tape when launching Omer because of the FDA documentation and paperwork required.

“If we knew how much work it would be, I don’t know if we would have done it. Sometimes our naiveté works in God’s favor,” he said.

Ralph Carter, pastor of Brushy Creek Baptist Church, said Nuthalapathy and Blackwell “have a real heart for medical missions.”

According to the organization’s website, the name for the group comes from Exodus 16, where God provided manna and taught the people how to be good stewards of the gift by each taking a share, an omer, of the manna.

“This example of stewardship is at the heart of Omer Medical Logistics,” the website states. “We fulfill our purpose by helping medical missions teams gather and use exactly what is needed for each medical outreach.”

For more information about the organization, as well as an upcoming fund-raising 5K event, visit the website at www.omerlogistics.org.