UPDATE 12/28/2020:
NYC AID is a volunteer organization focused on procuring PPE for healthcare workers in the NYC area in need. The focus has been on underserved hospitals and centers with a personal connection to the team.
NYC AID originally was known as the Intubation Project NYC, a volunteer campaign to raise funds for, manufacture, and distribute intubation boxes to hospitals in NYC during the height of the COVID pandemic. As the need for the reusable boxes faded, the organization renamed itself NYC AID to pivot towards procuring other forms of PPE.
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Intubation boxes act as a protective shield while a patient is intubated and may decrease the chance of COVID-19 exposure for front-line ER/ICU staff when used in addition to standard PPE.
(Medical professionals--please refer to this correspondence and video in The New England Journal of Medicine and this WHO briefing.)
Need intubation boxes?
Our boxes are approximately 21" wide, 20" tall, and 16" long, with 8" diameter oval armholes. We also take custom requests. Request a box here.
GOALS, PROGRESS, & TIMELINE
Intubations are down in NYC, so we are in the process of refocusing our efforts to other forms of PPE and appreciate your patience at this time!
Find us on Instagram at @intubationboxnyc and see our spreadsheet of completed deliveries to follow our work!
Milestone #1: $2,500 (first order of 15 boxes) - COMPLETE!
Milestone #2: $5,000 (second order of 20 boxes) - COMPLETE!
Milestone #3: $7,500 (10 boxes for St. John's Episcopal Hospital) - COMPLETE!
Milestone #4: $15,000
Milestone #5: $25,000
We aim to raise enough funds to fulfill intubation box demand for all NYC hospitals (large, small, public, private) at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the base model, the cost per box is $158, including materials, fabrication, assembly, and tax -- but we are now also taking custom requests, which often cost more.
Our suppliers are local businesses in NYC and Brooklyn with a collective 20+ years of fabrication experience.
TIMELINE:
-- April 5: Fundraiser Official Launch - done!
-- April 7: Place first order for 15 boxes - done!
-- April 10: Receive 4 boxes from first order and distribute to Brookdale Hospital - done!
-- April 12: Receive remaining 11 boxes from first order - done!
-- April 15: Place second order for boxes - done!
-- April 17: Distribute 6 boxes to Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center and 10 boxes to Maimonides Medical Center - done!
-- April 20: Distribute remaining boxes from first shipment to hospitals in need - done!
-- April 24: Distribute 10 boxes to St. John's Episcopal Hospital (CBS2 live broadcast here) - done!
We value transparency and will update this section regularly to keep donors aware of our progress.
THE HOSPITALS
Your donation goes directly toward protecting front-line healthcare workers at NYC area hospitals.
We have already connected with the hospitals listed below and are doing continuous outreach to ensure we cover as many hospitals as possible.
BROOKLYN:
Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center
Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center
Maimonides Medical Center
QUEENS:
St. John's Episcopal Hospital
Does your hospital need intubation boxes? If so, please fill out our request form here.
WHAT IS AN INTUBATION BOX? 
The intubation box, originally designed by Dr. Hsein Yung Lai of Taiwan, is an inexpensive protection device offering doctors a barrier between them and their COVID-19 patients during intubation. Placed over the head and shoulders of the patient, the box acts as a protective shield for medical providers while a patient is intubated and may lower the chance of COVID-19 exposure. After each use, the box can easily be cleaned with alcohol solution or the 55% isopropyl alcohol Sani-Cloth wipes available at many hospitals. For more information, visit our website at www.intubationboxnyc.com/faq.
FAQ
1. Is my donation tax-deductible?
At this time, donations under $250 (see #2) are not tax-deductible. Given the urgent nature of the current situation in NYC, we hope this will not deter your donation and are grateful for your generosity! (If you have nonprofit law expertise and are willing to help us establish fiscal sponsorship through a local nonprofit, pro bono, please contact us at [email redacted].)
2. I'd like to make a donation of over $250. Is there any way to make that tax-deductible?
Wow, thank you! Possibly - reach out to us at [email redacted] and we'll discuss with our nonprofit partners to see what we can do.
3. How will funds be spent?
100% of funds raised will go toward supplying overwhelmed and undersupplied NYC hospitals with much-needed PPE, including any necessary general and administrative costs (<5%). We are working with a small shops in NYC with over 20 years of collective experience, so your donation supports not only front-line medical workers but also local small businesses!
The Intubation Box Project team members are all working on this project at no cost. We do not benefit financially from your donation. We are also growing a team of delivery volunteers to help keep cost per box as low as possible.
4. Will you provide updates?
Yes! We will be providing regular updates as we move forward with this initiative. Please also refer to the “Goals, Progress, & Timeline” section of this page.
5. I am a front-line ER/ICU worker interested in obtaining intubation boxes. How can I make a request?
Please fill out our request form here; someone from the team will be in touch with you shortly.
6. I am not a healthcare worker, but want to get involved. How can I help?
If you are an acrylic/plexiglass shop and interested in working with us, please email [email redacted] with the subject line ‘Supplier Partnership Inquiry’.
If you are interested in volunteering to help with distribution or joining the team in any other way, please email [email redacted] with the subject line ‘Volunteer Inquiry’.
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WHO WE ARE
Catherine Hu is a senior educational consultant and M.A. Psychology candidate at New York University. She has a B.S.E. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania and is passionate about social justice and giving back to her community. As a NYS certified rape crisis counselor and advocate with the Crime Victims Treatment Center since 2018, Catherine has deep respect for the work done in EDs across NYC every day and is dedicated to ensuring the successful coordination and execution of this initiative.
Penelope Hsu, M.D. is a board certified practicing pediatrician. Having spent nearly a decade of her career practicing in busy urgent care centers and emergency rooms across the country, she is committed to helping her friends and colleagues who are still working in the most stressful conditions during this COVID pandemic. She is happy and proud to work with this team to see this project to completion and coordinate delivery to the front-line providers of this pandemic.
Aly Tadros is a New York State Department of Health certified rape crisis counselor and the Community Programs Coordinator of the Crime Victims Treatment Center (CVTC), which provides free healing services to survivors of crime. In addition to providing crisis intervention and advocacy to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, she coordinates the volunteer and emergency department component of CVTC, including the recruitment, training, and certification of volunteer advocates and medical providers at four major New York City hospitals. When she’s not coordinating CVTC’s 300+ volunteers and medical examiners, Aly writes about race, gender and alternative sexuality in outlets like The New York Times, Brooklyn Rail, and Narratively.
Alexander Tam earned his B.S. in Manufacturing Systems from San Jose State University and has 6+ years of experience in manufacturing. Currently working as a Project and Quotes Specialist at Buckles-Smith Electric, Alexander has ample experience building relationships with suppliers across the country for various projects.
Evan Danek works in the public infrastructure technology sector supporting NYC residents and emergency services personnel, and is an M.Sc. Technology Management candidate at Columbia University. Evan brings a background of 5 years in finance/ supply chain management consulting for public infrastructure, pharmaceutical, and medical devices clients as well as a volunteering background as a certified first responder.
Angel Mindanao is an M.S. candidate studying Nonprofit Management at Columbia University. She received her B.A. in English (Professional Writing Specialization) at the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY and has worked as a fundraiser and coordinator for nonprofits such as Kundiman, The Artists Forum, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, and more. She has also received training in journalism and worked as a reporter on several articles for the Norwood News.
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This fundraiser is an NYC Aid, LLC initiative.