While the coronavirus disease 2019 – or COVID-19 – continues to spread throughout our nation and the world, it may feel that we are each helpless to the spread of the virus. Even while you are following the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommendations and practicing social isolation, there are still ways you can help those who have been impacted.
Donate select new and unopened medical supplies
Riverside welcomes donations of certain medical supplies that are difficult to obtain. These items must be new and in unopened boxes and clearly labeled. They should be dropped off at any Riverside hospital location on Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Acceptable items include:
- N95 respirator masks
- PAPR (powered air-purifying respirator) equipment and hoods
- Surgical masks
- Disposable gloves (all sizes, latex-free)
- Disposable surgical caps
- Disposable foot covers
- Protective eyewear
- Nasal testing swabs
- Viral testing kits
- Face guards and face shields
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Touchless thermometers
Only the items noted above can be accepted and should be dropped off during the designated hours at each facility. Learn more by visiting donation of supplies.
Offer Homemade Face Masks to Friends and Family
Riverside is accepting homemade face masks but not using them in clinical settings at this time. Riverside encourages those who are able and willing to make masks to please do so and to provide them to friends and neighbors who are caring for family members with COVID-19. While homemade masks do not provide clinical-grade protection, they can be used by COVID-19 patients at home, as well as by those caring for them.
Learn more about patterns and materials for face masks along with designated drop-off locations by visiting our donation page.
Support the Riverside Foundation’s Emergency Fund
The Riverside Health Foundation’s mission is to care for others. The foundation has set up a funding page to help those impacted by the coronavirus situation. Gifts to this emergency fund will help:
- Crisis response to COVID-19 – Funds will help Riverside respond quickly to obtain supplies and resources required to combat the pandemic at Riverside facilities.
- Patient assistance – Funds will help patients who have been devastated by the crisis, enabling patient navigators to respond quickly to the emergency needs of those undergoing cancer treatment and others who have weakened immune systems and struggling with basic needs.
- Team members – Funds provide additional assistance to Riverside team members who have been financially impacted by the crisis.
Individuals have already given generously to meet these critical needs. To learn more about the Riverside Foundation’s Emergency Fund and to make a donation, please visit the campaign page.
Donate blood today
The American Red Cross is reporting a critically low supply of blood across the United States. This shortage is not due to individuals with COVID-19 needing blood transfusions, but rather very low turnout to donate at blood donation centers and cancelled blood drives.
To ensure the quality of the blood, donation centers must always adhere to strict cleanliness and hygiene guidelines. In this way, blood donation centers are considered a very low-risk environment for exposure to COVID-19.
If you are healthy, not quarantined due to possible exposure to COVID-19 and otherwise eligible to donate blood — please consider making an appointment to donate at a local donation center near you.
Help your local community
You can help vulnerable members of your local community during this difficult time in a number of ways:
- Continue to patronize local restaurants by ordering take-out.
- Donate food to local food banks and charity groups that provide assistance to individuals and families affected by recent unemployment.
- Stay out of grocery stores early in the day – some stores are even designating early morning hours for high-risk shoppers, including senior citizens and those with compromised immune systems.
