Penn Medicine Princeton Health has donated a reserve of personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies to police and other first responders, social service agencies, and emergency assistance organizations stretching from New Jersey to Texas.
The materials, obtained by or donated to Princeton Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, began shipping out to their destinations in mid-June.
“Individuals and companies throughout central New Jersey were incredibly generous, donating critical supplies at a time when we needed them,” said Princeton Health CEO James Demetriades. “We are in a strong position now, with an abundance of PPE on hand and a reliable supply chain, and we felt we should show gratitude for the community's support by sharing our surplus with others who are on the front lines serving people in need.”
Eight pallets of assorted items — hand sanitizer, gloves, face masks, face shields, lab coats, and isolation gowns — were delivered to the Plainsboro Police Department, which will share the supplies with the township Fire Department, First Aid Squad, and other entities, said Greg Evans, Director of Sustainability at Princeton Health.
Princeton Health sent a pallet stocked with raincoats to Arm In Arm, a Trenton-based nonprofit that provides housing, employment, and food support to area residents, and two pallets of raincoats to New Jersey locations of the American Red Cross, Evans said. Each pallet holds 12 boxes of 200 raincoats each, or a total of 2,400.
The Secaucus, N.J. collection center of Medshare, an international humanitarian aid organization, received 10 pallets containing items including face shields, lab coats, and gowns. Finally, Princeton Health shipped 10 pallets of raincoats to United Way Disaster Services locations in Delaware, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.
Charles Thompson and Kishen Douragh from the Automotive Services Department handled the local deliveries. Thank you also to Evans, Dann Dingle, Vanessa Coenraad, Elan Esakoff, Declan Lawson, Larry Garcia, Debbie Millar, and John Thomas for their efforts.