Fort Worth PPE Drive
Thirty years from now, when I am a practicing physician, I want to look back at the COVID-19 pandemic and be able to say that my classmates and I made a difference in helping protect healthcare workers and vulnerable populations on the frontline. The bravery and sacrifice of healthcare workers are what inspired me to take action. However, as a first-year medical student, I also felt that there wasn’t much I could do to help since medical students were removed from hospitals and clinics. Despite this transient feeling of hindrance, I soon realized that there were other ways I could support that didn’t involve me in a clinical setting.
I didn’t have to think twice about lending a hand when two of my professors, who are emergency medicine physicians, expressed the fear of not having enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves and their colleagues from the virus. Hearing their first-hand accounts and seeing the stories about the shortage of PPE on the news are the two main reasons that gathering and delivering PPE seemed like the right thing to do. In response to this urgent need, my classmate Stephanie and I, on behalf of and with the support of our classmates, launched a PPE Drive to collect and distribute donations to local hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and homeless shelters.
This team effort was initiated with the support of the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine administration and was functional within a week. We planned every aspect of the drive, from collection to distribution, in a timely and efficient matter. Despite small roadblocks, we were able to accomplish our first goal of collecting and distributing thousands of PPE to community partners. The drive was originally scheduled for March 30th — April 20th, but due to the continued urgent need of PPE as expressed by our partner organizations we are extending the drive to May 15th. Doing so will also allow us to collect additional items, such as hand soap, hand sanitizer, toiletries and cleaning supplies. These items will primarily go to facilities that care for the elderly and homeless populations. We realized that the pandemic has put our vulnerable populations at an even greater risk than we initially thought. Not only do we hope that these additional items will help to slow the spread of the coronavirus in these populations, but we also hope that that the connections made with these individuals will lead to relationships that are rooted in compassion and the willingness to serve one another.
Even though social distancing keeps us physically apart, we have united as a community in ways that keep us safe and feeling supported. As future medical doctors, we feel that collecting and distributing personal protective equipment is one way of helping and stepping up to the plate in this time of crisis. This initiative has led to opportunities for collaboration with individuals from all parts of our community and even the country. Lastly, the moments of joy shared among these interactions have been truly encouraging and are part of the reason that the response from the community has been wonderful.
