Los Angeles GetMePPE
Donation protected
THIS IS URGENT!
Los Angeles hospitals are running out of supplies for frontline workers -- Doctors, Nurses & healthcare staff who are treating COVID-19 patients. In Italy, 1 in every 10 Coronavirus cases are healthcare workers. But this isn't just about LA. This is everywhere. After we help source PPE to LA hospitals, we will distribute to other hospitals around the country as well based on funding.
We started this fundraising campaign to secure medical masks, and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), for the healthcare workers who need it most.
As Americans, we can’t just sit around and watch as our hospitals become inundated with patients and run out of supplies. We have a connection to an overseas supplier of certified PPE equipment and have already ordered the first 1,000 N-95 masks, hopefully to arrive within a week.
Some hospitals in America are already going through 20,000 masks a day. If we act now, we can supply the hospitals during the peak of the epidemic.
All donations will go directly to the purchase and delivery of N95 masks, surgical masks, and Personal Protective Equipment for frontline healthcare workers in Emergency Rooms and Intensive Care Units. Hospitals are already running low and are desperate for help.
OUR GOAL
We're starting small with $10,000 of PPE, mostly masks, but if we have enough response, we will do more.
OUR COMMITMENT
Once the masks and PPE are delivered, we will take photos and post updates on their delivery.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD:
“The shortage of face masks is so severe that the CDC is now advising nurses and other health care providers that they can "use homemade masks" like a "bandana" or "scarf" "as a last resort" -- even though it admits the effectiveness "is unknown." - @GeoffRBennett, NBCNews White House Correspondent
"There is such a shortage of masks -- we were finally given one per person. That one mask is supposed to last us for at least a week. We are told to reuse them each day, which completely puts us at risk. We are now disinfecting the mask ourselves after each shift -- wiping down with bleach before we start work again the next day." - NYC ER Doctor
#GetMePPE: Dr. Megan Ranney told @JohnKingCNN. "We need masks TODAY. We are pleading on social media, #GetMePPE, to keep me and my patients safe... [https://bit.ly/2J0PzJs ]
WHO WE ARE
Tony Camerino is a retired Air Force Reserve Officer, Iraq veteran, and Hollywood writer who worked on the hit show Person of Interest. While serving in the military, he helped Medical Readiness Teams provide free medical care across Latin America and coordinated humanitarian relief for refugees in Kosovo as a Special Operations helicopter pilot.
FAQ
What does success look like?
If we can save one healthcare worker from being infected, we already consider ourselves successful. If a healthcare worker is infected, that means they will call-in sick, meaning there is less coverage and reduces a hospital's capacity to properly take care of its patients. That means more victims.
Our current primary goal is to get as many FDA-approved medical masks into the hands of frontline healthcare workers as fast as possible.
How will the funds be used?
100% of the funds will go directly to facilitating the purchase and delivery of masks and other urgent Personal Protective Equipment for frontline healthcare workers.
We are committed to ensuring that our suppliers are giving us the most competitive rates available for FDA-licensed, approved masks, so that we can make sure that each dollar we raised is maximized for efficacy. Should we raise enough money and have enough access to supply, we hope to expand our donations to other hospitals in need.
Why LA?
California has the third most Coronavirus cases in the United States, but is also doing limited testing. The virus is most likely much wider spread than testing has shown. The impact on hospitals is most likely to be felt hardest in two to three weeks.
What have you accomplished so far?
We've established a source of both 3M and non-3M N95s masks and ordered the first shipment of 1,000 masks on 3/22 to test our supply routes. They should arrive within a week.
We have established contact with area hospitals to deliver the masks.
What is your current most pressing need?
Funding - we have the ability to acquire masks ready to be shipped but require funds to secure the order. The inventory is disappearing every day as every infected country in the world is competing for supply. The more funding we secure as soon as possible means the more masks we can get into frontline healthcare workers' hands.
Why aren’t the hospitals & government ordering these masks directly?
Hospitals as well as government agencies are trying their best to procure masks. However, due to supply chain limitations and global competition, they are currently experiencing extreme shortages. Also, hospitals are running out of funding.
How are you procuring the masks?
Through a relationship with an importer with direct access to suppliers in China.
How much are you paying for the masks?
We are negotiating the best price possible and the prices we are getting are very competitive, but our focus right now is speed.
How are you distributing the masks?
Through volunteers, we will personally hand-deliver the masks to frontline medical workers at their hospitals.
How do you prioritize who receives the mask?
The healthcare workers on the frontline of COVID-19 are those in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and in the Emergency Room. We will try our best to donate masks to ICU & ER Units within LA’s hospitals, as they are the ones who are likely to have the highest quantity of cases.
Are donations tax deductible?
Currently, donations are not tax-deductible. If you know of a 501(c)3 charity in this space that would like to sponsor our effort, we would love to partner with them. Until then, we have realized that the need is so urgent that we must move forward and hope that you will donate.
Los Angeles hospitals are running out of supplies for frontline workers -- Doctors, Nurses & healthcare staff who are treating COVID-19 patients. In Italy, 1 in every 10 Coronavirus cases are healthcare workers. But this isn't just about LA. This is everywhere. After we help source PPE to LA hospitals, we will distribute to other hospitals around the country as well based on funding.
We started this fundraising campaign to secure medical masks, and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), for the healthcare workers who need it most.
As Americans, we can’t just sit around and watch as our hospitals become inundated with patients and run out of supplies. We have a connection to an overseas supplier of certified PPE equipment and have already ordered the first 1,000 N-95 masks, hopefully to arrive within a week.
Some hospitals in America are already going through 20,000 masks a day. If we act now, we can supply the hospitals during the peak of the epidemic.
All donations will go directly to the purchase and delivery of N95 masks, surgical masks, and Personal Protective Equipment for frontline healthcare workers in Emergency Rooms and Intensive Care Units. Hospitals are already running low and are desperate for help.
OUR GOAL
We're starting small with $10,000 of PPE, mostly masks, but if we have enough response, we will do more.
OUR COMMITMENT
Once the masks and PPE are delivered, we will take photos and post updates on their delivery.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD:
“The shortage of face masks is so severe that the CDC is now advising nurses and other health care providers that they can "use homemade masks" like a "bandana" or "scarf" "as a last resort" -- even though it admits the effectiveness "is unknown." - @GeoffRBennett, NBCNews White House Correspondent
"There is such a shortage of masks -- we were finally given one per person. That one mask is supposed to last us for at least a week. We are told to reuse them each day, which completely puts us at risk. We are now disinfecting the mask ourselves after each shift -- wiping down with bleach before we start work again the next day." - NYC ER Doctor
#GetMePPE: Dr. Megan Ranney told @JohnKingCNN. "We need masks TODAY. We are pleading on social media, #GetMePPE, to keep me and my patients safe... [https://bit.ly/2J0PzJs ]
WHO WE ARE
Tony Camerino is a retired Air Force Reserve Officer, Iraq veteran, and Hollywood writer who worked on the hit show Person of Interest. While serving in the military, he helped Medical Readiness Teams provide free medical care across Latin America and coordinated humanitarian relief for refugees in Kosovo as a Special Operations helicopter pilot.
FAQ
What does success look like?
If we can save one healthcare worker from being infected, we already consider ourselves successful. If a healthcare worker is infected, that means they will call-in sick, meaning there is less coverage and reduces a hospital's capacity to properly take care of its patients. That means more victims.
Our current primary goal is to get as many FDA-approved medical masks into the hands of frontline healthcare workers as fast as possible.
How will the funds be used?
100% of the funds will go directly to facilitating the purchase and delivery of masks and other urgent Personal Protective Equipment for frontline healthcare workers.
We are committed to ensuring that our suppliers are giving us the most competitive rates available for FDA-licensed, approved masks, so that we can make sure that each dollar we raised is maximized for efficacy. Should we raise enough money and have enough access to supply, we hope to expand our donations to other hospitals in need.
Why LA?
California has the third most Coronavirus cases in the United States, but is also doing limited testing. The virus is most likely much wider spread than testing has shown. The impact on hospitals is most likely to be felt hardest in two to three weeks.
What have you accomplished so far?
We've established a source of both 3M and non-3M N95s masks and ordered the first shipment of 1,000 masks on 3/22 to test our supply routes. They should arrive within a week.
We have established contact with area hospitals to deliver the masks.
What is your current most pressing need?
Funding - we have the ability to acquire masks ready to be shipped but require funds to secure the order. The inventory is disappearing every day as every infected country in the world is competing for supply. The more funding we secure as soon as possible means the more masks we can get into frontline healthcare workers' hands.
Why aren’t the hospitals & government ordering these masks directly?
Hospitals as well as government agencies are trying their best to procure masks. However, due to supply chain limitations and global competition, they are currently experiencing extreme shortages. Also, hospitals are running out of funding.
How are you procuring the masks?
Through a relationship with an importer with direct access to suppliers in China.
How much are you paying for the masks?
We are negotiating the best price possible and the prices we are getting are very competitive, but our focus right now is speed.
How are you distributing the masks?
Through volunteers, we will personally hand-deliver the masks to frontline medical workers at their hospitals.
How do you prioritize who receives the mask?
The healthcare workers on the frontline of COVID-19 are those in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and in the Emergency Room. We will try our best to donate masks to ICU & ER Units within LA’s hospitals, as they are the ones who are likely to have the highest quantity of cases.
Are donations tax deductible?
Currently, donations are not tax-deductible. If you know of a 501(c)3 charity in this space that would like to sponsor our effort, we would love to partner with them. Until then, we have realized that the need is so urgent that we must move forward and hope that you will donate.
Organizer
Tony Camerino
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
