Bay Area medical center pleads for PPE donations as pandemic worsens

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Medical staff at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center made an urgent plea Wednesday morning for personal protective equipment (PPE) and funds as they prepare to weather the third wave of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

"We are not done and we need you badly right now," said Chris Wilder, Executive Director of the Valley Medical Foundation during a news conference.

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The VMC Foundation is the nonprofit fundraising arm of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

"This third wave is uniquely different. We're in the winter, we have non-COVID patients in the hospital and we're getting to historical norms in terms of the census. And now we have this 'X' factor we don't know how many COVID patients we're going to have," said Sanjay Kurani, M.D., Medical Director of Valley Medical Center.

The medical staff brings through supplies like gloves, surgical and N95 masks. The VMC is asking for the philanthropic community in the South Bay to step up, this time donating dollars.

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"If someone is sitting on a stockpile of PPE right now and they haven't given it by now, odds are they aren't going to so the most important thing people can give is dollars so we can then source the things we need," said Wilder.

The goal is to raise $3.5 million by the end of the year to get them through the winter.

The medical staff is going through an average of 7,000 surgical masks and 30,000 gloves each day.

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Help collecting and sourcing PPE is badly needed as healthcare systems across the country wait for relief in the form of an effective vaccine.

"From the entire medical community if you could give us one big last final push it would be greatly appreciated," said Dr. Kurani.

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