The following is a press release from the Governor’s office submitted to SOURCE media.
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BOSTON -The Baker-Polito Administration announced an online portal where individuals and companies can easily donate or sell personal protective equipment (PPE) and volunteer to support the COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts.
This effort will ensure that front line responders get the protective equipment they need to stay and push for more trained volunteers to join the response.
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“Massachusetts has already received generous donations from countless organizations, and by launching this portal we’ll make it easier to streamline these offers and quickly distribute supplies to those in need,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We also need more volunteers to help support our response to this unprecedented public health emergency, and urge people to sign up to lend a hand. Our administration will continue making every effort to secure supplies from all possible resources to support our front line workers during these tough times.”
The Commonwealth’s COVID-19 PPE Procurement and Donation Program creates an easy portal allowing companies and organizations to sell or donate protective equipment that is in short supply given the global demands for such items.
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By visiting the COVID-19 PPE Procurement and Donation website, businesses and organizations can offer for purchase or donation critically needed personal protective equipment, including:
| N95/N99 masks (respirators) | Surgical/procedure masks |
| Facemasks with integrated shields | Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPR) |
| Goggles | Gloves |
| Protective suits/gowns | Booties/shoe covers |
| Headcovers | Hand sanitizer |
| Sanitizing wipes |
The initiative announced today bolsters current efforts to leverage traditional and emergency supply chain channels.
“We have a constant demand and need for personal protective equipment (PPE) available to our medical, first responder and essential service communities. Over the past week, hundreds of deliveries of PPE have been made to front line health care providers, and first responders, but we need so much more,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Command Center Director. “Last week more than 28,000 masks, and 120,000 pairs of gloves were distributed, and we’ve placed more than $50 million in orders for additional supplies. We are also waiting on our third delivery from the Strategic National Stockpile.”
The program also provides an entry point for local manufacturers to get more information on adapting their businesses to produce more equipment here in Massachusetts, an effort being led by the administration’s recently established Manufacturing Emergency Response Team, co-chaired by Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, and Mike Tamasi, President and CEO of AccuRounds, a precision components manufacturer located in Avon.
“It comes as no surprise that both manufacturers and university R&D partners across Massachusetts have stepped up during this challenging time to support those saving lives and provide logistical expertise toward stopping the spread of this virus,” said Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy, Co-Chair of the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative. “This portal serves as a front door for companies that think their operations can be adapted to address manufacturing supply chain issues and produce the equipment needed by those on the front lines.”
A call for volunteers:
To support ongoing COVID-19 emergency response efforts, the Baker-Polito Administration has partnered with the Massachusetts Medical Society to match health and medical volunteers with our communities and health care providers based on skillsets and need. There is an immediate need for respiratory therapists and public health nurses, and the administration is asking health care professionals interested in volunteering to sign up by clicking here. Since launching the initiative, more than 1,000 people have already registered.
For more information on COVID-19, visit Mass.gov/covid19. Get notifications to your phone or other mobile device by texting COVIDMA to 888-777.
MetroWest Medical Center