Mask Effort Update

Mask Effort Update: Yesterday, we spent about $1,500 and purchased 40 Pulse Oximeters directly from a manufacturer to donate to Douglas Public Health Network for them to give out to certain patients that test positive for Covid-19. Why did we buy these? When Covid pneumonia first strikes, patients don’t feel short of breath, even as their oxygen levels fall. And by the time they do, they have alarmingly low oxygen levels and moderate-to-severe pneumonia. Pulse Oximeters can alert self-quarantined patients of silent hypoxia in the early stages (several days) before the pneumonia gets severe. This enables early treatment that can prevent escalation that usually ends in the patient needing a ventilator. "Avoiding the use of a ventilator is a huge win for both patient and the health care system. The resources needed for patients on ventilators are staggering." In short, by helping the patients early, it also helps our medical providers and could lead to better outcomes and even saved lives. We have also donated $6,500 to purchase 1,000 custom made face shields for our local medical providers and hospital. Those have already arrived! We are still working on other ways to help, so more updates to come! Thank you to everyone who has donated to support our local medical providers! Also thank you to our non-profit partner AHECSW 👍 This article explains why Pulse Oximeters can be so helpful to covid patients. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/opinion/coronavirus-testing-pneumonia.html