‘I Have Never Been More Hopeful’.
A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that at least 3 percent of nationwide coronavirus cases are among healthcare workers—and that the actual percentage is likely closer to 11 percent. As Massachusetts braces for a peak in cases—and in hospitalizations—the safety of frontline workers is essential in the race to defeat this pandemic.
To ensure the protection of healthcare workers and patients at Boston Medical Center, two School of Public Health alums are working with the hospital to secure personal protective equipment for the hospital through a new grassroots initiative called BMC Need PPE.
Founded by Raagini Jawa (CAS’10, MED-SPH’14), an infectious disease and addiction medicine fellow at BMC, the initiative is comprised of BMC house staff, students, and BU alumni whose goal is to acquire critical protective gear and develop innovative, sustainable solutions to preserve PPE and prevent nationwide shortages. Candice Bangham (SPH’19), project coordinator for BMC’s B SMART Program, is one of more than 30 volunteers for the group, and has provided communications and outreach support to acquire donations and additional volunteers.
“In order for a frontline provider to care for a patient who has COVID or who is being ruled out for COVID, they need to have appropriate PPE, which includes isolation gowns, gloves, face shields or googles, and respirator or surgical masks,” says Jawa. “This is more than what is typically needed for other patients, so hospitals throughout the country and the world are running out of supplies.” She says the intent of the initiative is “to be proactive, rather than reactive,” and work with BMC, which has been preparing for the current surge of patients for the past couple of months, and strategizing on how to conserve its current PPE supply.
“BMC has such a unique mission in serving the community,” says Jawa. “We care for so many of the most vulnerable patients, so that’s why being proactive about these efforts is so important. Not having PPE and not protecting our most vulnerable population would have a major impact on our city.”
In just a few short weeks, the group has made strides with monetary and equipment donations, raising almost $19,000 through a GoFundMe campaign, establishing 120 purchasing leads for BMC, and acquiring 101,800 pairs of gloves, 25,600 surgical masks, 10,150 N95 masks, 532 gowns, and 465 bottles of hand sanitizer through generous community donations. Half of the volunteers work remotely, and the group holds daily meetings on Zoom.
“As a recent SPH alum, it is really impressive to see students and professionals who are balancing school, jobs and life during a pandemic, band together and use their public health skills to address the current crisis,” says Bangham. “It is what we are trained to do, and our education has prepared us for the inevitable.”
In addition to donation coordination, the group is also focused on advocating for frontline healthcare workers’ safety and wellness, as well as developing evidence-based protocols for innovative ways to preserve PPE. Those protocols and other data will be available on the group’s website so that the findings can serve as models or help inform processes at other healthcare institutions.
“Some of our team members are actively working with the hospital’s Infection Control, Supply Chain, and Environmental Services, and clinical departments to come up with proposals and innovations such as 3-D printed/laser-cut face shields, 3-D printed nasopharyngeal swabs, IV pole externalization, and UV decontamination of respiratory masks so that we can reuse masks and healthcare providers have to visit the patient,” says Jawa. BMC now also conducts rapid, same-day COVID-19 testing. “We are all stepping up and filling in the gaps in real time.”
Jawa credits the enthusiasm and dedication of her BMC colleagues and BMC Need PPE volunteers.
“I have never been more hopeful,” she says. “This group of BMC staff and student volunteers working together has been so inspiring. I can go to bed at night knowing that we’re going to keep working, because that is the only way we’re going to survive this.”
To donate personal protective equipment to BMC Need PPE, click here.