Project N95 Launches To Battle 2020 Shortage Of N95 Masks During Coronavirus Outbreak

In response to the overwhelming shortage of N95 respirators and surgical masks, the National COVID-19 Medical Equipment Clearinghouse, aka Project N95, is launching to serve the many hospitals and healthcare systems, including nursing homes, and other care facilities, in need of personal protective equipment (PPE).

See below for a volunteer call to action. 

They have forms and details on the above-linked site, but the organization has a prioritized medical equipment list that includes (but will shift as the demand changes in what they hear from healthcare providers). If you are a facility or healthcare provider with these needs, reach out to Project N95:

• N95 masks
• Surgical masks
• Isolation gowns
• Ventilators

The clearinghouse is coming from another new organization, the U.S. Digital Response Team, made up of former government chief technology officers, academic leaders, and technology corporate executives. Their mission is to coordinate with manufacturers who have the capacity and can produce PPE gear and distribute it. 

According to the site, “the U.S. Digital Response Team was started by three former U.S. Deputy CTOs (one who was a leader on the healthcare.gov rescue effort, one who founded Code for America, and one who leads the Digital Service Collaborative at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center) and a technical executive formerly from Facebook and Stripe. Together we have already sourced 500+ qualified people willing to help and skilled in technology, data, design, and operations…” 

In addition to working with manufacturers, they are working closely with government officials to find the most critical and urgent needs and to match those first. They are also looking for volunteers with a variety of skills, including but not limited to: technology (coding), supply chain logistics, and public health, specifically epidemiology. 

Given my post earlier this week on the massive shortage of N95 masks and the safety of our nation’s healthcare professionals, many were and still are depending on last-resort measures of handmade, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) masks for their employees and workers. 

Before this national initiative started, there have been a handful of tireless workers trying to match-make among the many healthcare organizations in Washington State and beyond. These efforts have been mostly focused on finding and distributing N95 masks that others may have at home or in their businesses. 

You can visit these small, but powerful teams making a difference at this critical time with the links I shared on my earlier post, quoted and linked here in paragraph below – where you can dive in on Twitter to see what other new efforts are getting underway. They created a new, informative document packed with more links, ways you can help, ways you can donate: So you want to help with PPE’s. Just to be clear: You are needed. If you have been trapped at home wondering what you can do to help during the Coronavirus pandemic, this is a way you can help. 

“Clearly, there is a shortage of the manufactured N95 respirator. You know this. Healthcare workers know this. If you have been hoarding them, let me cut to the chase — there are people and organizations who need your extras and you can do the right thing and donate them. Get in touch with Holly Figueroa O’Reilly on Twitter — she is organizing the distribution of donated masks. Follow the hashtags #millionmaskchallenge and #millionmaskmayday and scroll through and you will find programs and projects around the USA and world.” 

Additional Resources:

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators: Crisis/Alternate Strategies.