The Berks County EMS COVID-19 Joint Task Force is urgently requesting the public’s assistance to fulfill an immediate need of supply of Personal Protective Equipment.
Two weeks ago, Berks County ambulance agencies, with the assistance of both Penn State Saint Joseph Medical Center and Tower Health, formed an inter-agency coalition to address the needs of every ambulance service provider in Berks County.
Through the coalition, they are pooling resources together to ensure that pre-hospital practitioners & first responders, in addition to the public stay informed of how the delivery model for ambulance service is evolving throughout this pandemic. One principle objective of the coalition, is daily monitoring of our PPE supplies, including surgical masks, gowns, goggles, and N95 particulate masks.
Based on the current stockpiles reported by participating agencies, they have reached a critically low level. At current forecast, Berks County EMS agencies will exhaust current supply of PPE in merely two weeks.
Most health-related government departments have reached consensus, that the highest levels of exposure and infected civilians will peak within the next 20-30 days.
Throughout the pandemic, Berks County has been largely successful in maintaining the safety, awareness and education of our pre-hospital staff all while mitigating any decreases in available ambulance staffing levels.
However, if PPE levels continue to drop, especially in such an accelerated manner as projected, Berks County EMS agencies may face no other choice than to decrease daily staffing levels. As a consequence, if a 911 call is placed, it may take considerably longer for an ambulance to arrive.
The Berks County EMS COVID-19 Joint Task Force is asking for the public’s assistance, both from an individual and business levels. If you have PPE, especially in the form of face masks (surgical and N95 or higher), goggles, medical gowns, and hand sanitizer, they are asking that you consider donating this to your local emergency medical services agency.
Depending on the organization, your donation may even be tax deductible.
For Donations, contact:
Anthony Tucci, Logistics Officer
Berks County EMS COVID-19 Joint Task Force
Atucci@wbems.org
(610) 551-0222
