Project C.U.R.E.’s COVID-19 Response
When COVID first hit the U.S. in early March 2020, Project C.U.R.E. pivoted to address the urgent need for personal protective equipment (PPE) nationwide. We immediately opened medical inventories from our seven distribution centers across the U.S. to medical, EMS, and first-responder communities. As stocks became depleted, Project C.U.R.E. partnered with professional sports franchises and other organizations in Denver, Houston, Phoenix, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Nashville to host community-wide PPE collection drives and has since donated over $3.5M in COVID-19 relief to frontline and healthcare workers.
By mid-summer, Project C.U.R.E. had utilized its longstanding healthcare network to deliver more than $3 million worth 2,241 boxes in 85 semi-truck loads across the U.S. For these efforts, Project C.U.R.E. was honored to receive a Charity Navigator “Top COVID Relief” distinction.
Following the first wave of COVID transmissions as some medical supply chains began to catch up with the PPE demand, what became apparent was that large health corporations had all the purchasing power. Now in midst of the pandemic’s deadly second wave with communities experiencing even worse positive rates and deaths than last spring, Project C.U.R.E. is once again at the forefront of COVID relief across the United States. However, this time the stakes are even higher – especially for the rural medical facilities that desperately need our help.
Rural clinics operate on much smaller margins than their urban counterparts do and they have been steadily losing their allocations of PPE to the large hospital corporations, which control the purchasing power. Already reeling from canceled elective procedures, a 20% decrease in non-COVID patient visits, and now receiving overflow patients from urban facilities that are at capacity, rural health clinics are weathering a perfect storm.
Fortunately, Project C.U.R.E. is able to act as a purchasing partner or clearinghouse for these smaller facilities procuring gloves, N95 masks, PPE gowns, and shields at cost and working with various hospital associations to distribute it equitably. In addition, Project C.U.R.E. has been donating ventilators and ICU beds from its inventories.
Working with partners like XPO Logistics, Flexport, Angel Flight, and the Civil Air Patrol, Project C.U.R.E. has been able to truck or fly desperately needed PPE to remote facilities.
How you can help the COVID-19 fight
- If you would like to donate PPE or other medical equipment you can coordinate here: https://projectcure.fru.qa/donate-supplies-urgent-covid-19
- If you would like to donate money to help resupply our local communities you can do so here: https://give.projectcure.org/give/440765/#!/donation/checkout
- Check out the results from our PPE Drives in Chicago, Colorado Springs, Denver and Nashville.
- Read Thank You Notes for Healthcare Heroes here
- Read about our team’s courageous story of surviving Covid-19
- Do you want to learn more about COVID-19? Check out Project C.U.R.E.’s
COVID-19 Education & Prevention Newsletter:
While Project C.U.R.E.’s mission is to strengthen health systems in under-resourced countries, our first priority is to our own country. Project C.U.R.E. is already working with local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the C.U.R.E. Communities where we have Distribution Warehouses. Our firefighters, nurses, doctors, and public servants need our help, and Project C.U.R.E. will continue to join in solidarity as they serve us. When our state and local government agencies call and request our resources, we will be here to protect the lives of our first responders and medical professionals.
Project C.U.R.E. will continue to save lives and ease the suffering of our traditional partners around the world. While the world is concerned with the current COVID-19 crisis, women are delivering babies. Fathers are injured. Children get sick. Grandparents struggle with chronic illness. As you are reading this, we are still planning containers of medical equipment and supplies destined for sick and hurting people throughout the world.
Project C.U.R.E. is committed, now, more than ever, to meeting the medical needs of people who need help – both here in the United States, and abroad. We will provide resources where they will save lives, ease suffering and change the world. To the extent we can, we will keep our warehouses functioning, collect medical equipment and supplies, sort and prepare those for donation, first to our needs here at home and then to the people who need our help overseas.
At this critical time, I am urging you to join us and become a part of this important work. Recognizing that many of you are seeking ways to make an impact, even from the safety of your homes, you can still do that with Project C.U.R.E. Our organization is being asked to step up as never before. This is a great opportunity to help sponsor our work – and we need your help now more than ever.
For as little as $25, you can sponsor a box of medical supplies. A contribution of $500 sponsors an entire pallet. You can link to our donation page at http://bit.ly/projectcurepartners to find out more about how to join us in this fight and help change the world. Please share this message and join us as we fight to protect those who protect us.
Douglas Jackson, PhD, JD
President/CEO
