Funds for Masks for COVID-19 Medical Staff
UPDATE: We have donated 40,650 surgical masks and 200 N95's to 17+ hospitals and health care centers in the Bay Area, NYC, the Bronx, and Navajo Nation! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated! (9/2)
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3.5 billion face masks and respirators are in need due to COVID-19. Thousands of health care workers across the country have contracted the virus and been forced into quarantine. Doctors and nurses have even been forced to reuse disposable masks and hospitals around the nation have already ran out. Reusing masks can be fatal, as doctors are more at risk and patients who do not yet have the virus can become infected. Currently, Bay Area hospitals are having difficulty obtaining masks in the face of many logistical and bureaucratic issues (see Forbes and NYT sources)
As Bay Area teens who have experienced school shutdowns and witnessed resource shortages from this pandemic, we started this fundraiser and organization Fighting For Heroes to be a part of the solution. We currently have stable and reliable suppliers internationally and locally who have provided us with the thousands of masks that we have donated so far, and they have told us they will continue to do so for our cause. We purchase masks as we receive our donations, so the faster we can get donations and reach our goal, the faster we can protect those on the front lines. Once the masks are purchased, they are sent to local hospitals in need. (Current breakdown of mask donations below. Additionally, we are going to be completely transparent with our finances -- scroll past the FAQ to see our finance sheet.)
Health care workers have demanded for “immediate” action. Our goal is to deliver thousands of masks to protect those risking it all, and we need YOUR help. Coronavirus deaths have been doubling every three days in the United States. If we do not act now, people will die who could have otherwise lived.
Please donate and share this fundraiser so we can flatten the curve. Every dollar counts.
People who save lives need saving too!
-Alicia, Angelina, Marie, Paulina, & Sheryl
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @fightingforheroes
Check out our features in the press to learn more:
Mountain View Voice
Patch and Patch Update
East Bay Times
CBS SF Bay Area KPIX
NBC Bay Area
Los Altos High School The Talon
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FAQ:
1. Where are you donating your masks?
Current breakdown of mask donations (last updated 9/2) - 40,850 total donated
Bay Area - 26,000 masks total!
Community Health Partnership - 9000 surgical masks donated
Palo Alto Medical Foundation - 500 surgical masks and 80 N95's donated
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center - 4,600 surgical masks donated
Stanford Health Care - 1,000 surgical masks donated
El Camino Health - 500 surgical masks donated
Kaiser Permanente SF - 500 surgical masks donated
Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara - 2,050 surgical masks and 120 N95's donated
Good Samaritan San Jose - 500 surgical masks donated
Redwoods Post Acute - 2,850 surgical masks donated
San Mateo County - 800 surgical masks donated
SF General Hospital - 1,000 surgical masks donated
Sequoia Hospital - 500 surgical masks donated
Lifelong Trust - 1000 surgical masks donated
Windsor Post-Acute Center - 300 surgical masks donated
Roots Community Health Center - 700 surgical masks donated
Navajo Nation - 7,850 masks total!
New York - 3000 masks total!
Montefiore Medical Center - 2000 surgical masks donated
Mt. Sinai Hospital - 1000 surgical masks donated
Chicago - 4000 masks total!
Burbank Rehabilitation - 200 surgical masks donated
Institute for Nonviolence Chicago - 200 surgical masks donated
Rosental Family Lodge - 100 surgical masks donated
Healthcare Alternative Men's Transitional Housing - 200 surgical masks donated
Casa Esperanza Safe House - 100 surgical masks donated
Evangeline Booth Lodge - 200 surgical masks donated
New Life Interim Housing - 50 surgical masks donated
Aperion Care Oak Lawn - 200 surgical masks donated
Unity Shelters - 200 surgical masks donated
WINGS Program Inc. - 250 surgical masks donated
Salvation Army Freedom and Light Center - 100 surgical masks donated
Mutual Aid (LoveTrain) Chicago - 100 surgical masks donated
Night Ministry - 200 surgical masks donated
Fairmont Care - 200 surgical masks donated
NLVS Free Clinic - 100 surgical masks donated
Loyola COVID Testing - 60 surgical masks donated
**remaining are still being distributed to the Chicago area
** Thank you to Rock N' Rags for funding 3000 of the masks we sent out!
2. How have you chosen where to donate?
Hospitals have been chosen based on a list provided by KQED and a PPE Facebook group. If you're wondering why NY: because New York was a lot slower to react to the pandemic (they locked down about a week or even later after California did) and because their crisis is so much worse, we decided to spread the love and give them a helping hand. Additionally, after learning that Navajo Nation has the highest rates of COVID-19 in the country and their massive need in PPE and supplies, we decided to send masks to them as well. Our focus is still the Bay Area though :) If you know a hospital in need, please click the Contact button!
3. Why can't hospitals just buy from our suppliers directly?
Hospitals at the moment have experienced a massive upheaval in their supply chain networks. A majority of American PPE is manufactured where the coronavirus began, Wuhan province. So when the outbreak got worse, these PPE factories had to shut down. Since then, some hospitals and state governments have tried to purchase their own PPE, but they have been met with international buyers, fraud, dupes, and price gouging. N95's which usually cost ~$0.50-$1 are now being sold for $5 or more. “We’re burning through cash, but there’s no other option,” the network’s chief medical and quality officer, John Bonamo, told The Washington Post. And a hospital in New Jersey discovered that the 1000 N95's they'd ordered were fake N95's. And California has also faced its fair share of scammers promising millions of masks. We are trying to work through the noise to find hospital-grade masks and provide them directly to the hospitals, so they do not have to navigate this frenzy while trying to battle COVID-19 at the same time.
4. What type of masks are you donating?
We donate both surgical masks and NIOSH- certified N95s(CDC and FDA approved). Surgical masks are used in all aspects of health care from treating COVID-19 to performing surgeries and operations. They are also being worn by coronavirus patients in hospitals to contain the spread of the virus. According to the CDC, "a surgical mask is meant to help block large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays, or splatter that may contain germs (viruses and bacteria), keeping it from reaching your mouth and nose. Surgical masks may also help reduce exposure of your saliva and respiratory secretions to others." Surgical masks will not protect against everything, but they are critical for hospitals. N95 respirators "block at least 95 percent of very small (0.3 micron) test particles. If properly fitted, the filtration capabilities of N95 respirators exceed those of face masks." N95 respirators are most needed, but much harder to source and much more expensive to purchase. Check out our instagram @fightingforheroes to see where we source our N95's from.
5. Why do we still need masks? Aren't we flattening the curve?
While our counties and local governments have been taking action to flatten the curve as seen by our shelter-in-place, cases are still rising. Even when Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, was on lockdown on January 22 when they had less than 500 cases, cases climbed exponentially to 50,000 cases before plateauing. Additionally the Santa Clara County Health Officer is still requesting for more PPE, and the federal government's order for 500 million masks is expected to take up to 18 months to fulfill.
Spreadsheet for finances: here. Every single dollar goes to purchasing masks. Note: there is a second sheet on the spreadsheet where you can see the breakdown of fees that Gofundme charges us and the final amount we can spend.
P.S. Shoutout to our Outreach Team: Jenna Razzak, Bella Siciliano, Valentina Chang, Anika Shah, Angelica Zhuang, Rebekka Kabel, Camdyn Rechenmacher, Isabella Taneja, Mia Chartier, Gratia O'Rafferty, Tai Henderson, Jessica Dooley, Hannah Bohbot-Dridi, Bailey Fu, Zarina Khader, Brooke Lang, Arushi Singh, Audrey Chang, Sydney Takemoto and Sabrina Takemoto! And special shoutout to Maya Bodnick who's been helping organize our partnerships with local businesses and brands!
Additional note: the beneficiary to the campaign is the organizer's mom as Angelina is under 18.