Pediatric Hospital Foundation provides PPE, other resources in response to pandemic
When Puerto Rico began to face the coronavirus emergency earlier this year, the Pediatric Hospital Foundation established the COVID-19 Extraordinary Fund to buy the necessary resources to protect frontline health professionals.
As part of the effort, the nonprofit received $240,000 in donations from private companies, organizations and citizens. It also received in-kind donations of more than $175,000 to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential supplies for the Río Piedras Medical Center’s Dr. Antonio Ortiz University Pediatric Hospital community.
“All the small and large grants received were highly appreciated and essential to achieve our mission,” said Rebeca Quiñones, executive director of the Pediatric Hospital Foundation.
“We appreciate the trust that these groups placed in our organization to acquire the necessary personal protective equipment, ventilators and other materials. The immediate response allowed us to deliver these donations effectively and quickly,” she said.
The nonprofit is still distributing PPE from an approximate inventory of more than 50,000 items that includes gloves, masks, gowns, face shields, hand sanitizers and alcohol, among others. Similarly, the Foundation purchased two ventilators and is purchasing two additional ones.
The Foundation is also moving ahead with the delivery of medicine, including: Albuterol and aero chambers and specialized cleaning equipment. In addition, thousands of essential items such as, diapers, wet towels, pajamas, formula and toiletries.
The Foundation has been able to distribute equipment and donations to other hospitals throughout the San Juan metropolitan area.
