Unless you live under a breakwater, you've seen stories of nationwide PPE shortages. Consider the Good Samaritan law now extended to land: The entirety of the country's medical profession has issued a distress signal, and marinas, shipyards, boatyards, and boaters need to heed the call.
If you have any number of N-95 masks, give'em up. Yes, the government is working on mass producing more ASAP, but you, where you are, can help now. You can save lives near you now. We need to keep our health workers alive – as one stated on a recent podcast, "If we die, you die." It's not a threat, it's a simple reality.
Worth noting:
Here's what to do:
Collect any face shields, surgical gowns, non-latex gloves, sanitizing gel, and especially respirator-type N95 masks
Ask boaters for theirs to add to the pile – post a sign and on social media, with an end date to the collection (hours, not days)
Do not go walking into a hospital trying to drop them off
Check your local hospital's website – many organizations have begun posting how they’ll accept donations
Try to call your local hospital or urgent care facility first to ask the best course of action
If you come up empty, check the website for your county or city health department.
Barring that, call your state’s department of public health
If you know front-line medical workers personally, you could text them directly to arrange a drop-off, but priority should go to those most likely to encounter patients with Covid-19, such as E.R. workers.
Other donation items your nearby hospitals may be accepting below. Be sure to clarify if they will accept open bottles/boxes of cleaner/masks/etc, as some are specifying that they will only accept donations if unopened.
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