FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 27, 2020
St. Charles asks for public’s help with donating personal protective equipment
BEND, Ore. – St. Charles Health System is continuing to ask for the public’s help with donations of much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE).
Hospitals around the country are facing critical shortages of such supplies due to COVID-19 pandemic-related interruptions in manufacturing and distribution as well as a dramatic increase in global demand. As a result, St. Charles is actively working to both conserve and to acquire more protective equipment for its caregivers and patients.
“Our supplies are running critically low and there doesn’t appear to be much relief in sight. Our vendors are unable to deliver on our orders and the state’s stockpile is depleted,” said Iman Simmons, chief operating officer. “We are taking advantage of every opportunity we have to safely conserve PPE. But there’s simply no getting around the fact that we need more supplies—and we need them soon.”
Specifically, St. Charles is seeking the following:
- N95 masks
- NIOSH-approved respirators, including:
- N95, N99, N100
- P95, P99, P100
- R95, R99, R10
- Any type of surgical mask, including pediatric ear loop masks
- Isolation gowns
- Nitrile exam gloves
- Hand sanitizer (any brand is fine, but cannot have glitter)
- Rubbing alcohol
- Pure aloe vera gel
- Lactated ringers
- Medical face shields
Full boxes of these items are preferable, but partial boxes can be accepted if clean.
“We are thankful for our incredible community partners in education who are helping to get the word out and managing drop-off locations for these critical supplies,” Simmons said.
Please do not take donations to St. Charles hospitals or clinics. Starting Saturday, March 28, donations can be dropped during specified hours at the following sites:
Bend area
Albertsons North
1800 N.E. Third Street
Donations accepted during store hours
Albertsons South
61155 S. Highway 97
Donations accepted during store hours
Sisters area
St. Charles Family Care
630 N. Arrowleaf Trail
Donations accepted Monday to Friday, 8 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Prineville area
Wagner's Market
930 N. Main Street
Donations accepted during store hours
Redmond area
Logan's Market
900 S.W. 23rd St.
Donations accepted during store hours
Madras area
Erickson's Thriftway
561 S.W. Fourth Street
Donations accepted during store hours
About St. Charles Health System
St. Charles Health System, Inc., headquartered in Bend, Ore., owns and operates St. Charles Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond. It also owns family care clinics in Bend, Madras, Prineville, Redmond and Sisters. St. Charles is a private, not-for-profit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 4,200 caregivers. In addition, there are more than 350 active medical staff members and nearly 200 visiting medical staff members who partner with the health system to provide a wide range of care and service to our communities.
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