UPDATE: this fund raiser started out as a way for us to have some fun with mustaches and promote resident wellness. I’m happy to say we reached our initial goal much faster than we anticipated and has quickly morphed into something larger. Our next goal is to help raise money for PAPRs (specialized respirators) for our clinical staff. UNMC’s supply is quite limited. In the words of my colleague, Dr. Van Kalsbeek: “If you have reviewed the prediction models, you have an idea of what lies ahead. Best case scenario is a full hospital with an overflowing ICU. Worst case scenario... look at Italy, Iran, our own Seattle... These will be OUR patients. The heaviest burden will fall on primary care providers: EMS, ED, clinic, ward and ICU providers and support staff. The hospital is not immune to the sanitary product shortages panicking the rest of our country. A shortage of PPE and disinfectants would directly affect everyone reading this. Reusable powered air purifying respirators (PAPR) would allow conservation of face masks and shields. They really do pay homage to the ghostbusters and may be a common sight in the near future. They are not cheap, running around $2k each. We think we’ll need 50. The powers-that-are are actively working to funnel existing funds into this and are hopeful but... Feces may hit the fan. We have been perfectly set up to build our own fund that would allow our program to provide necessary supplies to ourselves or others in extreme need when the time comes. We will reserve the original $500 for the resident wellness fund. This proportion is apt to grow as the total does.” UNMC is at the head of biocontainment, not only locally, but on national and international scale. You saw the success with Ebola. Now, UNMC is leading the way with clinical trials towards treatment of COVID-19. Our goal is to maintain this status. To that end, we need your help. This community is the foundation upon which our success is built. We would humbly ask you consider donating to our cause. Thank you in advance to everyone! Stay safe!