Local medical facilities need critical medical supplies

McCOOK, Neb. -- COVID-19 is making it difficult for medical facilities to obtain critical medical supplies. Community Hospital is spearheading a project to link businesses and industries in surrounding communities which have an excess of needed supplies to those key healthcare facilities in need.

The hospital is playing matchmaker, if you will, to those that “have” and those that “have not.” Businesses that may have an excess of medical supplies could be dental clinics, schools, tattoo parlors, nail salons, veterinary clinics, feedlots, ophthalmologists, manufacturing companies and construction companies. Those that are facing severe medical supply shortages include local physician clinics, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, EMS and public service, and hospitals.

They are in need of mainly protective personal equipment (PPE) such as surgical masks, N-95 masks, Tyvek suits and other body suits, eye protection (face shields, safety glasses, goggles), all sizes of disposable and reusable gowns, all sizes of disposable gloves, bouffant hair covers, hair nets, scrub caps, shoe covers, scrubs, hand sanitizer, thermometers and covers, spray disinfectants and bleach/disinfectant wipes.

“As the hospital met with area healthcare partners during some of our early COVID-19 meetings, we realized there were facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities that had very little PPE on hand and were having difficulty getting supplies due to shortages,” said Lori Beeby, Community Hospital Vice President of Support Services, also serving as Hospital Incident Command Logistics Chief. “We wonder if there are bulk supplies available in other industries not directly related to healthcare, or those businesses which aren’t seeing patients right now due to social distancing measures.”

Heading up the project is Community Supply Needs coordinator, Ethen Scott. Before COVID-19, Ethen was Community Hospital’s athletic trainer for high school and college sports in the area, but he was temporarily reassigned to this important task when the schools closed.

Scott first contacted healthcare facilities in seven Nebraska counties (Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Hitchcock, Hayes and Red Willow) and four Kansas counties (Rawlins, Decatur, Cheyenne and Thomas) to determine their supply needs. Next he identified and, with several other staff, contacted a list of more than 300 businesses in a variety of industries in the above counties to see if they could fulfill an identified need.

Partnering with Community Hospital to store community supplies until they are picked up is McCook Evangelical Free Church at 602 East 14 Street in McCook. Details are as follows:

Monday/Thursdays (8-11 AM and 3-6 PM CST): Drop off Donations

Wednesdays/Fridays (8-11 AM and 3-5 PM CST): Pick up Donations

*Additional drop off and pick up times are available by appointment by calling Community Hospital at 308-344-2650

“No money changes hands,” said Beeby in describing the matchmaking service.” The hospital saw a need they wanted to help with, but we could not have made this work without the generous donations of area industries and businesses. Ultimately, the prize winners in this project are all the healthcare workers benefiting from the additional PPE who will be protected,” she added.