GetUsPPE LA Coronavirus Support Fund
Donation protected
As of 12:00pm 4/16, there were 10,854 confirmed COVID-19 cases including 455 deaths in LA County alone.
As community members we can help. Let us fill the gap.
Los Angeles hospitals and front-line healthcare workers are facing a shortage of face masks fighting against the spread of COVID-19.
Our mission is to provide as many NIOSH N95 FDA and CE certified KN95 masks to frontline healthcare workers in need.
100% of the donations go directly into the purchasing and distribution of masks.
If you have personal protective equipment (PPE) that you would like to donate (masks, gloves, disinfecting wipes, etc.), please fill out this donation form: Donate PPE
If you are a healthcare worker currently treating COVID-19 patients and short on masks, please fill out this request form: Request PPE
Nationwide demands for masks exceed the rate of production and supply. Something must be done in the meantime.
We will be distributing to hospitals and nursing homes in Los Angeles County and Orange County. We have contacted and compiled a list of hospitals and nursing homes that are in urgent need.
Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are especially vulnerable to the virus. It is frightening to treat infected patients or those that pose symptoms without necessary protection.
This initiative is to answer the call for PPE (personal protective equipment) by healthcare professionals from raising money for masks to protect these very individuals who are risking their health and lives. Out of all PPE, face masks take precedence. For reference, N95 respirators are the specific mask used by healthcare personnel that filters out 95 percent of airborne particles, like viruses.
The shortage has reached a point where workers have to reuse single-use masks for days at a time or even make their own with office supplies and off-the-shelf materials. Face masks are designed to be worn only once, and repeated uses is dangerous as it increases the risk of infection. Due to the lack of supply, the CDC has now recommended homemade masks "as a last resort", such as bandannas or scarves "in settings where facemasks are not available."
The Story:
As a current hospital volunteer, I have seen the challenges that healthcare professionals face. Even patients who are at risk in the hospital require masks until isolation. In addition to personnel who directly aid patients with coronavirus, the shortage impacts other hospital units and services such as invasive procedures, wound care, and etc. A number of hospitals have even experienced masks and other supplies being stolen and/or hoarded. Hospitals are running out of supplies and must be prepared for the peak of the outbreak.
With direct access to a trusted partner and mask supplier in China, we would be able to provide surgical masks and N95/KN95 masks efficiently to hospitals in dire need. N95 and KN95 masks are equivalent in the level of protection, with the KN95 version being officially recommended by the CDC as an alternative for hospital shortages. We will use efforts to find connections to provide other PPE such as gowns, gloves, and face shields. CDC N95 Alternative / 3M Comparison
Distribution:
Beginning with the Los Angeles area, we’ll be updating this page regarding which hospitals/facilities/nursing homes these masks will go to. Healthcare workers at the frontline are those in the Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Therefore, we will carefully prioritize how masks are distributed. Masks will be hand-delivered by curbside drop-off to frontline medical workers at respective hospitals.
Please help protect our healthcare workers who are putting their lives on the line.
Let us do what we can to help. Let us fill the gap.
Please help spread awareness by sharing this campaign on Facebook and Instagram!
Twitter: @GetUsPPELA
Instagram: @GetUsPPELA
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GetUsPPElosangeles
#GetUsPPE
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/face-masks.html
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-15/amid-protective-gear-shortages-healthcare-workers-risk-becoming-part-of-the-problem
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-21/coronavirus-mask-bandanna-covid-19-bandanna
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/hospitals-coronavirus-ppe-shortage.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/us/coronavirus-physicians-emergency-rooms.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-facing-coronavirus-are-running-out-of-masks-other-key-equipment-11584525604
https://www.businessinsider.com/people-stealing-masks-from-hospitals-and-research-facilities-2020-3
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/03/18/shortages-face-masks-cotton-swabs-basic-supplies-pose-new-challenge-coronavirus-testing/
As community members we can help. Let us fill the gap.
Los Angeles hospitals and front-line healthcare workers are facing a shortage of face masks fighting against the spread of COVID-19.
Our mission is to provide as many NIOSH N95 FDA and CE certified KN95 masks to frontline healthcare workers in need.
100% of the donations go directly into the purchasing and distribution of masks.
If you have personal protective equipment (PPE) that you would like to donate (masks, gloves, disinfecting wipes, etc.), please fill out this donation form: Donate PPE
If you are a healthcare worker currently treating COVID-19 patients and short on masks, please fill out this request form: Request PPE
Nationwide demands for masks exceed the rate of production and supply. Something must be done in the meantime.
We will be distributing to hospitals and nursing homes in Los Angeles County and Orange County. We have contacted and compiled a list of hospitals and nursing homes that are in urgent need.
Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are especially vulnerable to the virus. It is frightening to treat infected patients or those that pose symptoms without necessary protection.
This initiative is to answer the call for PPE (personal protective equipment) by healthcare professionals from raising money for masks to protect these very individuals who are risking their health and lives. Out of all PPE, face masks take precedence. For reference, N95 respirators are the specific mask used by healthcare personnel that filters out 95 percent of airborne particles, like viruses.
The shortage has reached a point where workers have to reuse single-use masks for days at a time or even make their own with office supplies and off-the-shelf materials. Face masks are designed to be worn only once, and repeated uses is dangerous as it increases the risk of infection. Due to the lack of supply, the CDC has now recommended homemade masks "as a last resort", such as bandannas or scarves "in settings where facemasks are not available."
The Story:
As a current hospital volunteer, I have seen the challenges that healthcare professionals face. Even patients who are at risk in the hospital require masks until isolation. In addition to personnel who directly aid patients with coronavirus, the shortage impacts other hospital units and services such as invasive procedures, wound care, and etc. A number of hospitals have even experienced masks and other supplies being stolen and/or hoarded. Hospitals are running out of supplies and must be prepared for the peak of the outbreak.
With direct access to a trusted partner and mask supplier in China, we would be able to provide surgical masks and N95/KN95 masks efficiently to hospitals in dire need. N95 and KN95 masks are equivalent in the level of protection, with the KN95 version being officially recommended by the CDC as an alternative for hospital shortages. We will use efforts to find connections to provide other PPE such as gowns, gloves, and face shields. CDC N95 Alternative / 3M Comparison
Distribution:
Beginning with the Los Angeles area, we’ll be updating this page regarding which hospitals/facilities/nursing homes these masks will go to. Healthcare workers at the frontline are those in the Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Therefore, we will carefully prioritize how masks are distributed. Masks will be hand-delivered by curbside drop-off to frontline medical workers at respective hospitals.
Please help protect our healthcare workers who are putting their lives on the line.
Let us do what we can to help. Let us fill the gap.
Please help spread awareness by sharing this campaign on Facebook and Instagram!
Twitter: @GetUsPPELA
Instagram: @GetUsPPELA
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GetUsPPElosangeles
#GetUsPPE
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/face-masks.html
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-15/amid-protective-gear-shortages-healthcare-workers-risk-becoming-part-of-the-problem
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-21/coronavirus-mask-bandanna-covid-19-bandanna
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/hospitals-coronavirus-ppe-shortage.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/us/coronavirus-physicians-emergency-rooms.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-facing-coronavirus-are-running-out-of-masks-other-key-equipment-11584525604
https://www.businessinsider.com/people-stealing-masks-from-hospitals-and-research-facilities-2020-3
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/03/18/shortages-face-masks-cotton-swabs-basic-supplies-pose-new-challenge-coronavirus-testing/
Organizer
GetUsPPE LA
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
