COVID PPE masks for NY/NJ hospitals
Donation protected
Why?
New York and New Jersey hospitals have a critical shortage of PPE and have been exposing themselves to COVID positive patients. With little available N95 masks to smaller hospitals, and the increasing burden of patients to larger hospitals, there is a great need for approved masks to be imported to protect our healthcare workers in the coming days.
I've seen nurses reassigned to sicker patients on unfamiliar floors converted to ICU's, now managing vents and meds they have to learn on the spot while patients are coding. I've seen their turmoil turn into emotional and physical exhaustion. Some of the initial doctors to fearlessly volunteer for our first COVID units have contracted coronavirus and can't work as they recover, short of breath at home. I have patients who, while recovering from surgery, contracted coronavirus in the hospital and now are either intubated or dead. This is to alleviate the fears, to protect our healthcare providers and to save our patients.
Is this urgent?
We are asked to reuse PPE throughout the day and deposit disposable respirators for "resterilization". A state-run psychiatric hospital in Parsippany, NJ, had staff wearing bandanas to protect themselves from COVID patients who cannot be physically isolated from personnel. Doctors and staff from these institutions have already tested positive and been asked to leave work due to becoming symptomatic. I'm asking for your help to protect us from COVID so we can continue to serve. This gofundme is for N95, FFP2 and KN95 masks for these two hospitals.
Is this safe?
The CDC (3/17/20) and FDA (3/28/20) have recognized this need by approving select masks (FFP2 from Europe and KN95 from China) that have achieved "equivalent or similar protection" to our N95 NOISH-approved respirators for use during this COVID crisis. 3M compares these respirators to meet the standards of masks to use with bioaerosols such as viruses. Our mask manufactures have been cross-checked with the CDC list of counterfeit respirators and verified with the FDA Establishment Registration & Device Listing to ensure they have valid registration for their device. The respirators we order have documentation for safety testing for filtration, inhalation and exhalation resistance tests and leak tests. We encourage all users to have undergone fit testing with their institution to ensure that they are protecting themselves with the proper PPE.
How many?
We aim to obtain 12,000 masks, which would be enough for a small hospital with a staff of 400 to wear 1 mask per day for 30 days. During active acquisition of donations through this GoFundMe, we will continuously order batches of masks even prior to reaching our goal. This will ensure that no time is waste in delivering PPE as soon as possible. We prioritize the hospitals with the most urgent needs for PPE. In our experience, this has been state run, smaller sized hospitals with long term care patients. These hospitals typically operate with limited access to public donations and financial resources. The masks we donate are handed directly to hospital floor staff, not to the administration. This ensures efficient utilization of our donations without the known bureaucratic blockades that hinder distribution of PPE to staff. We also receive deliveries of donated respirators to collect in our stockpile
Who are we?
My name is Lilly and I am a surgical resident in New York City. I have managed patients in the COVID unit and am familiar with the availability of PPE for staff and tribulation of obtaining it. Being known as a front line provider, I have been reached out by many people who want to help obtain PPE during this time of crisis.
Austin Chen is the founder of 3i Products , a South Carolina based home textiles manufacturing company that frequently sources materials from overseas. He is looking to utilize the resources he has to assist in sourcing PPE masks from overseas. He will coordinate with the manufacturer to place the orders and establish shipping to the hospitals. Certifications of testing for quality control are available and can be sent upon request.
Rihua Xu is an attorney working in a New Jersey public agency. He protects, advocates, and represents New Jersey residents who are disabled or mentally ill. Rihua is a proud, longtime New Jersey resident, and is passionate about protecting the underserved in his community. Rihua is a graduate of Rutgers Law School.
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References:
This (CDC- Strategies of Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators ) is a list of available respirators that the CDC was listed to provide equivalent or similar protection to NIOSH-approved respirators when supplies are short during the COVID crisis. KN95 masks are certified by China's OSH agency, and FFP2 are certified by Europe's agency, Health and Safety Executive. On March 28, 2020, the FDA has released an EUA (FDA- Emergency Use of Authorized Respirators ) with a list of "authorized respirators" that includes just FFP2. The authorized use of KN95 masks is pending authorized use by the FDA. In addition, 3M released that it is "reasonable to consider China KN95, .. European FFP2 respirators, for filtering non-oil-based particles such as .. bioaerosols (e.g. viruses)" (3M- Comparison of FFP2, KN95, and N95 and Other FFR Classes 1/2020 ).
New York and New Jersey hospitals have a critical shortage of PPE and have been exposing themselves to COVID positive patients. With little available N95 masks to smaller hospitals, and the increasing burden of patients to larger hospitals, there is a great need for approved masks to be imported to protect our healthcare workers in the coming days.
I've seen nurses reassigned to sicker patients on unfamiliar floors converted to ICU's, now managing vents and meds they have to learn on the spot while patients are coding. I've seen their turmoil turn into emotional and physical exhaustion. Some of the initial doctors to fearlessly volunteer for our first COVID units have contracted coronavirus and can't work as they recover, short of breath at home. I have patients who, while recovering from surgery, contracted coronavirus in the hospital and now are either intubated or dead. This is to alleviate the fears, to protect our healthcare providers and to save our patients.
Is this urgent?
We are asked to reuse PPE throughout the day and deposit disposable respirators for "resterilization". A state-run psychiatric hospital in Parsippany, NJ, had staff wearing bandanas to protect themselves from COVID patients who cannot be physically isolated from personnel. Doctors and staff from these institutions have already tested positive and been asked to leave work due to becoming symptomatic. I'm asking for your help to protect us from COVID so we can continue to serve. This gofundme is for N95, FFP2 and KN95 masks for these two hospitals.
Is this safe?
The CDC (3/17/20) and FDA (3/28/20) have recognized this need by approving select masks (FFP2 from Europe and KN95 from China) that have achieved "equivalent or similar protection" to our N95 NOISH-approved respirators for use during this COVID crisis. 3M compares these respirators to meet the standards of masks to use with bioaerosols such as viruses. Our mask manufactures have been cross-checked with the CDC list of counterfeit respirators and verified with the FDA Establishment Registration & Device Listing to ensure they have valid registration for their device. The respirators we order have documentation for safety testing for filtration, inhalation and exhalation resistance tests and leak tests. We encourage all users to have undergone fit testing with their institution to ensure that they are protecting themselves with the proper PPE.
How many?
We aim to obtain 12,000 masks, which would be enough for a small hospital with a staff of 400 to wear 1 mask per day for 30 days. During active acquisition of donations through this GoFundMe, we will continuously order batches of masks even prior to reaching our goal. This will ensure that no time is waste in delivering PPE as soon as possible. We prioritize the hospitals with the most urgent needs for PPE. In our experience, this has been state run, smaller sized hospitals with long term care patients. These hospitals typically operate with limited access to public donations and financial resources. The masks we donate are handed directly to hospital floor staff, not to the administration. This ensures efficient utilization of our donations without the known bureaucratic blockades that hinder distribution of PPE to staff. We also receive deliveries of donated respirators to collect in our stockpile
Who are we?
My name is Lilly and I am a surgical resident in New York City. I have managed patients in the COVID unit and am familiar with the availability of PPE for staff and tribulation of obtaining it. Being known as a front line provider, I have been reached out by many people who want to help obtain PPE during this time of crisis.
Austin Chen is the founder of 3i Products , a South Carolina based home textiles manufacturing company that frequently sources materials from overseas. He is looking to utilize the resources he has to assist in sourcing PPE masks from overseas. He will coordinate with the manufacturer to place the orders and establish shipping to the hospitals. Certifications of testing for quality control are available and can be sent upon request.
Rihua Xu is an attorney working in a New Jersey public agency. He protects, advocates, and represents New Jersey residents who are disabled or mentally ill. Rihua is a proud, longtime New Jersey resident, and is passionate about protecting the underserved in his community. Rihua is a graduate of Rutgers Law School.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
This (CDC- Strategies of Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators ) is a list of available respirators that the CDC was listed to provide equivalent or similar protection to NIOSH-approved respirators when supplies are short during the COVID crisis. KN95 masks are certified by China's OSH agency, and FFP2 are certified by Europe's agency, Health and Safety Executive. On March 28, 2020, the FDA has released an EUA (FDA- Emergency Use of Authorized Respirators ) with a list of "authorized respirators" that includes just FFP2. The authorized use of KN95 masks is pending authorized use by the FDA. In addition, 3M released that it is "reasonable to consider China KN95, .. European FFP2 respirators, for filtering non-oil-based particles such as .. bioaerosols (e.g. viruses)" (3M- Comparison of FFP2, KN95, and N95 and Other FFR Classes 1/2020 ).
Fundraising team (4)
Lilly C
Organizer
New York, NY
Rihua Xu
Team member
Austin Chen
Team member
Stef Wong
Team member