Local frontline workers are doing their part to make sure there's a healthy supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The Timmins PPE Drive is underway in the city. It runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today (May 2) until Wednesday, May 6 at the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CDSSAB) Ambulance Bay at 500 Algonquin Blvd. E., which is next to McDonald's.
Dr. Julie Samson said hospital and community physicians and nurses got together to start the drive. It's to prepare and protect frontline workers in case there is a PPE shortage due to COVID-19.
She said the donations will be distributed in the community to the hospital, police, EMS, long-term care homes, or wherever the need may be.
The items being collected in the drive are: N95 masks, surgical and procedure masks, face shields and visors, safety goggles with top and side covers, vinyl and nitrile gloves, Tyvek coveralls, isolation gowns, hand sanitizer with a minimum 70 per cent alcohol, sanitizing wipes, and microfibre cloths.
Samson, who is a community and hospital physician, said the hospital is "running probably week-by-week in terms of inventory."
“Right now there’s no known shortage at the hospital but it’s always on our mind as frontline workers there dealing with COVID patients on a daily basis,” she said.
She gave an example of how much PPE was being used prior to the COVID-19 outbreak at Timmins and District Hospital. Every day, she said they used about 7,000 gloves, 1,500 isolation gowns, and 1,000 masks.
“Those numbers would be even higher if we weren’t reusing our masks. We’re trying to be very cognizant at the hospital in terms of smart use of PPE and reusing some of our stuff that we can. Those are quite large daily numbers we’re going through and since the outbreak, I’m sure we’re going through more because every patient now we require full droplet PPE to assess in the hospital,” she said.
For people dropping off donations for the drive, trained volunteers, mostly medical professionals, will be receiving the donations.
The donations should be put in the rear or trunk of vehicles.
“They will drive through the ambulance base, they will not get out of their car. We will take the information from about six feet away in terms of name and contact, and then our volunteers who will be protected by PPE will unload the car with the donations,” she said.
They are asking for only one person per vehicle only, and for them to wear a mask, if possible.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you are asked to stay home.
If there is anyone with a large inventory of PPE, the group is keeping a virtual inventory.
"If there’s a company with a large amount of items, they can fill out a form online which we have access to and they don’t need to bring their 2,000 gloves to our donation site, but at least we’ll be able to keep track of who has what in town in case we need it in a pinch at a later date,” said Samson.
For more information on the drive, you can email [email protected]. You can also learn more at timminsppedrive.com.
