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Silicon Valley Leadership Group is leading a major campaign to round up respirators, hazmat suits, surgical masks, gloves and hand sanitizer for nurses, doctors and staff working in the Santa Clara County to stay protected from the coronavirus.
Within 60 minutes on Thursday after the campaign launched, the Leadership Group raised $596,551 in cash, CEO Carl Guardino said during a press conference outside the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose on Friday. In-kind donations from corporations with local offices include 1,200 respirators and 1,300 surgical masks from Lumileds; 2,000 medical-grade hazmat suits for hospital personnel from KLA; 15,000 surgical masks from IBM; and 140,000 surgical masks and 4,000 surgical gloves from Western Digital. In addition, the drive received 1,200 respirators. The hospital has already received donations of N95 masks from TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, which uses the protective gear while building sets to shield themselves from dusting and cutting wood. The theater company also gave its nitrile gloves it keeps for general protection and glue application.
The Valley Medical Center Foundation will disperse the money and equipment to the Santa Clara County public health care system and to other medical facilities in need, said Cindy Chavez, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
Big corporations aren’t the only ones making contributions. Michael Elliott, Valley Medical Center Foundation’s chief operating officer, said many individuals are donating small amounts of surgical masks and other equipment.
“Your donation might keep one health care worker safe for one day,” he said, displaying several boxes of masks that had just been donated during the press conference.
The Valley Medical Center Foundation is accepting donations of money, supplies and services to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation is asking for another 400 respirators.
Anyone who wishes to donate can visit vmcfoundation.org, mail a check to 2400 Clove Drive, San Jose, 95128 or call 408-885-5299.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, who has been taking the lead in many areas of organizing for the pandemic, recently partnered with the county to launch Silicon Valley Strong, an online hub with critical updates and resources for vulnerable residents. Many nonprofit organizations who serve seniors, people with disabilities and homeless individuals and families are seeing a drop in volunteers as a result of the pandemic. Anyone who wants to help the community by volunteering can visit SiliconValleyStrong.org.
Find comprehensive coverage on the Midpeninsula’s response to the new coronavirus by Palo Alto Online, the Mountain View Voice and the Almanac here.