GetUsPPE Weekly Briefing
This document features the GetUsPPE.org's weekly briefing in an edited and condensed format for brief19.com.
By Amanda Peery-Wolf
GetUsPPE Article in The Lancet
The Lancet recently published a Correspondence authored by several of our team members. The article analyzes data from GetUsPPE's Demand Data Hub, showing that the PPE shortage remains widespread. It looks at the breakdown of registered needs across income quadrants, regions of the country, and urban, suburban, and rural areas. This study establishes GetUsPPE as the leading source of PPE demand data in the United States.
The Fairness Framework
One of the most heart-wrenching questions our team faces is where and how to distribute a limited supply of PPE. Given the urgency of the PPE crisis, we are prioritizing speed and efficiency in getting PPE to frontline healthcare workers. But with COVID-19 continuing to have a disproportionate effect on under-resourced communities, we are also committed to not perpetuating inequities in access to medical supplies.
Public health equity and logistics experts on our team consulted with other experts and worked with developers to create what we are calling the Fairness Framework for the distribution of PPE. The Fairness Framework is built around an algorithm that allows us to consider factors such as whether a facility accepts Medicaid, whether it offers low- or no-cost treatment, and demographic data about the population it serves.
We hope that someday soon we will not need the Fairness Framework, or any framework, to think about the distribution of necessary medical equipment. We hope that someday soon every frontline worker will have the PPE they need to stay safe.
Makers Mobilized
Makers are an important force bolstering the global supply of PPE. The GetUsPPE Makers Team works with maker networks all over the country, including a group called Open Source Medical Supplies (OSMS). In this video, OSMS tells the story of 28,000 makers signing up for their movement off the bat. They reported making 238,000 units of PPE across the world in just one week. To join the maker force and register PPE designs for vetting, visit the makers page on our site.
A Sampling of GetUsPPE Success Stories
Over the past week, GetUsPPE and its regional affiliates have delivered more shipments than can fit in a briefing, but here are a few stories from around the country:
In continuing joint efforts between GetUsPPE and Boston Scientific, 7,800 isolation gowns went out to twelve sites, including a site within a Native American reservation. Three thousand face shields arrived in Oregon, to be distributed to 60 locations across the state (below far left). Cole Grinnel at Morgan State University donated 10,000 nitrile gloves (below far right).
A Call for Volunteers
At GetUsPPE, we're growing quickly and we're looking for volunteers to join our 200-plus-person central organization. We're hoping to fill a wide variety of roles, so whether or not you have experience in healthcare or nonprofit work, you could be a much-needed volunteer. Check out our biggest needs here. Join the charge by filling out our volunteer form or emailing us with a brief description of any relevant skills and experience at volunteer@getusppe.org.
International branches of GetUsPPE are springing up across continents, most recently in South Africa, Australia, and India. As we prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19, volunteers around the world are getting ready to do something about it.
