OUR COLLECTIVE MISSION

By July 27, there are over 180,000 confirmed COVID-related cases and 6,100 deaths in the DMV - contributing to 4.1% of all deaths in the US. DMV is one of the hardest-hit COVID-19 regions in the US. COVID-19 has impacted the lives of every DMV resident, and now more than ever, DMV frontline workers need Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to help save the region.

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The Community PPE initiative aims to provide free, essential PPE supplies to DMV communities that need it most in order to help protect frontline workers and lessen the spread of COVID-19.

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WHERE THE NEEDS ARE

Here are some of the DMV Frontline PPE Stories:

1. All hospitals and other healthcare facilities are asking for N95 masks and surgical masks.

2. Many hospitals ask for all PPE (masks, gowns, face shields, goggles, gloves, hair covers and shoe covers).

3. A nurse at a hospital in Fairfax County, VA said he has to reuse one surgical mask for up to 5 patients and one N95 mask for up to 25 patients.

4. A doctor at a hospital in Anne Arundel County, MD has to reuse N95 masks and isolation gowns.

5. ICU nurses at a hospital in Prince George’s County, MD have been wearing the same hair covers for 2 weeks. The hospital has run out of hair covers and shoe covers completely for a long time.

6. A nurse at a nursing home in Montgomery County, MD ran out of hair covers.

7. ICU nurses at a hospital in DC have to reuse N95 masks.

8. Doctors in a DC hospital ran out of shoe covers and hair covers.

9. EMS in Baltimore, MD can’t get PPE supplies fast enough.

10. ICU nurses have to wear 3 layers (scrubs, isolation gowns and a third layer (including rain ponchos or trash bags)) to be the most protective.

11. Fairfax County, VA government is asking for cloth face covering donations for vulnerable residents.

12. Dentists in VA and MD are asking for PPE and covid-19 testing of patients and staff. 

13. Primary/Urgent care providers are asking for PPE to take care of their chronically ill and now COVID+ patients.

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OUR APPROACH

Our primary focus is to bring much needed PPE to frontline workers and high-risk populations that need it most. Partnerships with community groups, advocacy organizations and following DC, MD and VA Health Departments' data provide a valuable vantage point into DMV’s hardest-hit communities so that AHFC19 can tailor solutions to provide free PPE to the DMV. Our first priority is to provide essential PPE to groups such as:

1. Frontline Healthcare Providers: hospitals, urgent care centers, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities have all expressed the need for additional PPE. 

2. DMV First Responders: FD, PD & EMS

3. Essential Service Workers like grocery store and delivery service workers are in danger every day as they are the backbone of our neighborhood’s livelihood. They are experiencing PPE shortages across the board, and by protecting them, we will greatly limit the spread of COVID-19.

4. High-risk Populations:

   1. Seniors at nursing homes are at the highest-risk for COVID-19.

   2. People Experiencing Homelessness with nowhere to shelter safely are at high risk of COVID-19 infection and contagion.

   3. Detention Centers where outbreak risks are exponential due to overcrowding.

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WHERE YOUR DONATION GOES

Procuring PPE (medical masks, gloves, gowns, face shields and etc.) and supplies for making PPE (3D printed face shields, specialized sewn masks, homemade face shields and masks).

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#CommunityPPEforDMV

#PPEforDMV

#HealthcareWorkersPPE

#EssentialWorkersPPE

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