Stay curious, stay inspired, stay connected!: a letter from Dr. Sheira Schlair

Hi all,

I'm writing to you as an internal medicine physician, asking for your ingenuity and leadership, to seek out and help promote donations for PPE (personal protective equipment) (and other donations) at Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, NY so that healthcare professionals can fight this COVID-19 war with full ammunition. 

In this fight, at the forefront we envision healthy, COVID-free healthcare workers and hospital leadership. PPE is essential in reducing COVID spread and a healthy frontline workforce. Without a healthy hospital workforce and personnel, our Bronx, NY patients, whom, as you know are amongst the most vulnerable humans in the world, are at gargantuan risk. As is the control of this epidemic.  PPE is absolutely essential to prevent sickness and potential death COVID-19. 

I am sending this message because I:

1. Observe the scarcity of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ventilator resources, 

2. Observe the growing volume of acutely ill people with COVID who must be hospitalized, many of whom require ventilator support, and 

3. Care immensely about my mission-driven, hard-working, never-say-never Montefiore community and the resilient and dynamic Bronx community, whom I continue to feel deeply grateful to serve for more than 15 years. I do NOT want to see ANY harm to my co-workers whom are compassionate, brilliant clinicians of all sorts. Nor to myself, a young and devoted mother and wife who is also a doctor who is at great risk. We are all already putting our lives on the line. 

We need help NOW. Please think of any and all connections that you have and please spread my message far and wide and see if you can figure out what to do to help out this dire situation. And please stay home and stay safe.  

In-Kind Donations (see attached flyer to pass on to others along with my message):  PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS OF GREATEST CONCERN AND I WANT TO URGE YOU TO FOCUS ATTENTION ON HOW TO HELP US PROCURE PPE ASAP AS WE ARE ALL SHORT ON IT; THIS IS NOT A MATTER OF OUR HOSPITAL FINANCE, RATHER IT IS DUE TO LOW SUPPLY AND PROFOUND DEMAND, NATIONALLY.

Please send any of the below clinical materials that you wish to donate in a box labeled with contents to: 

PyCube Logistics
Attn: Montefiore
 901 Penhorn Avenue, Unit 4 Secaucus, NJ 07094

·      N95 masks

·      Surgical masks (homemade, see attached specs or purchased)

·      Secure-guard duckbill surgical masks

·      Nitrile Exam Gloves 

·      AAMI level 2 or higher isolation gowns 

·      Super sani-cloth wipes (size XL / 8” x 14”) 

·      Shield face mask foam headbands (homemade or purchased) 

·      2-ply tissues

·      Plastic-wrapped ponchos 

·      Disinfectant wipes

·      Safety glasses

·      Plastic ponchos

·      Alcohol-based (60% or higher) hand sanitizers

·      Surgical scrubs

Please reach out to Sheryl Spivack-Braun regarding your donation at sbraun@montefiore.org

In order to acknowledge the donation, please send Sheryl the following information:

Company

First Name

Last Name

Address 1

City

State

Zip

Email address

Phone

Item Donated

Quantity

Date

Financial contributions:

Montefiore Critical Care Relief Fund:

https://www.montefiore.org/responsive-body_min.cfm?id=8389&fr=true

Einstein's Critical Response Research Fund:

http://einstein.yu.edu/giving/combating-covid-19/

Finally, if you have any connections with producers/distributors of North American or European PPE or ventilator companies, please send me leads as I’m directly in contact w/Montefiore leadership about PPE procurement. 

Thank you in advance for your philanthropic support in our hospital’s response to this ever-changing challenge. In choosing to spread this message, push and advocate with local construction companies, your workplace (and push it up the CEO level if needed!), friends who wear masks for their jobs, local businesses (salons, nail salons, acupuncture, chiropractic, etc) or connecting with others to create masks. By crowdsourcing for PPE, you are truly saving lives. 

In solidarity and with love,

Sheira