Fundraiser for PPE for Frontline Workers in Peru

Many of you know that I am a registered nurse. I have been working with COVID-19 positive patients since New York’s outbreak in March. My fellow essential hospital workers and I have experienced a different side of this pandemic, to say the least. Westchester County is an affluent area, yet our healthcare system became quickly overwhelmed by the exponential surge in COVID-19 cases. We have lived through severe Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortages; we saw our hospital become completely overrun with COVID positive patients. At the hospital I work at, within a matter of weeks from the time we saw our first COVID positive patient, almost every single unit became a COVID-19 unit. ICU beds became extremely scarce, as many COVID positive patients’ health status quickly deteriorated. In March and April PPE became so scarce that many workers, myself included, found ourselves reusing N95 masks made to last only 8-12 hours for days, even weeks at a time. Many staff at my hospital ended up catching this virus. We’ve witnessed many people overcome the virus. We have also seen many people fall critically ill and even passing from it. I speak from very real and harrowing experience as to how vicious and deadly this virus is. I know how essential and life-saving PPE is for frontline workers to adequately protect ourselves in order for us to provide care to anyone who enters our hospital doors.

 My aunt and uncle are both frontline healthcare workers in Arequipa, Peru. While New York has overcome the worst of this pandemic, and our state has begun the slow and careful process of reopening, Peru is experiencing the worst of this pandemic right now. My aunt, Marjorie Delgado, is the Director of Nursing at an oncology hospital, IREN SUR, where she is working desperately hard trying to keep her staff safe. My uncle, Dr. Javier Villegas, is a urologist at Honorio Delgado Hospital – Arequipa’s main hospital for COVID positive patients. After speaking to them recently, they have let me know that COVID-19 cases are increasing in Arequipa, while their hospitals’ PPE supplies are dwindling.

The hospitals in Peru are not only seeing their PPE supplies dwindle, they are also experiencing incredible financial constraints hindering them from purchasing new PPE needed for this sudden increased demand. The cost of 1 N95 mask before the pandemic was approximately 3 Peruvian Soles ($1 USD). Now, 1 N95 mask is sold at 70 Peruvian Soles (a little over $20 USD).

Peru is currently the country with the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in South America.

Peru is also a developing nation that has far less financial resources than Westchester County and the United States.

I am asking for any financial help that you may provide so that we can help keep our frontline workers abroad safe. All hospital staff, including doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, security, and housekeeping staff are in desperate need of PPE. All donations received will go directly to helping Honorio Delgado Hospital and IREN SUR purchase PPE.

Essential workers need to keep themselves and their families safe, as they continue the battle against this virus.

Please help me keep our frontline workers safe.

Thank you.

 

For some news articles about COVID-19 in Peru:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/the-plight-of-peru-illustrates-the-danger-of-covid-19-to-developing-countries/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/peru-covid-19-outbreak-health-workers-demand-protection-200618100456255.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/peru-coronavirus-oxygen-tank-price-gouging/2020/06/17/3e0f5392-b0bc-11ea-8f56-63f38c990077_story.html

https://diariocorreo.pe/edicion/arequipa/los-guerreros-de-la-pandemia-se-mantienen-en-pie-de-lucha-938545/