LSU Health New Orleans Medical Students Volunteer to Collect PPE for COVID-19 Front Line Health Care Workers

A student at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine has organized an effort to solicit area businesses for donations of personal protective equipment (PPE.) The project supports faculty and residents working on the front lines of health care delivery to patients with COVID-19. About 30 LSU Health New Orleans medical students representing all four classes have collected masks – surgical, N95, face shields and homemade masks – safety glasses/goggles, gloves, gowns and hazmat suits. They are also seeking donations of hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and industrial cleaning supplies.

“I started this project because there are many health care workers putting their lives on the line to treat these COVID-19 patients,” says Abigail Olinde, a third-year LSU Health New Orleans medical student. “They are working day in and day out to protect our community and shouldn’t have to worry about the lack of PPE. With medical students out of the hospitals, we can continue to help our future co-workers by getting these individuals the supplies that they need.”

Olinde and her classmates have called more than 500 businesses and have gotten a good response from the community.

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Olinde and her classmates have called more than 500 businesses and have gotten a good response from the community.

“We are distributing the donations to the local hospitals around Orleans and Jefferson parishes that are low on supplies due to the COVID-19 outbreak,” Olinde explains. “We are now coordinating with Tulane so that supplies get distributed to all hospitals based on their needs.”

People can donate by either calling/texting 504-383-5894 or emailing donateppenola@gmail.com for supplies to be picked up.

If they can drop off supplies, Tulane has two drop off locations where we will work to take inventory:

• The Downtown Location is 131 S. Robertson St., 1st floor Innovations Lab, New Orleans LA 70112 (open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 7 days/week.)

• The Uptown Location is 8333 Maple St. New Orleans LA 70118 (open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. M-F.)

“Our goal is to get the community involved in helping health care workers on the front lines,” says Olinde. “With New Orleans as one of the epicenters in the U.S., it is important that everyone in the city steps up and finds ways to prevent further spread.”