SVMC Requests Donations of Personal Protective Equipment

BENNINGTON, VT—April 9, 2020—Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), is requesting the community to assist with donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The hospital currently needs the following PPE:

•         N95 Masks–typically found in industrial businesses and home workshops
•         Nitrile Gloves in all sizes
•         Home-sewn cotton masks. As many as 300 have been donated so far, but the hospital needs 1,000 more.
•         Home-sewn cloth surgical caps, known also as scrub caps and skull caps. Cloth caps, worn low on the forehead, relieve the friction and improve comfort for those wearing face shields. 500 surgical caps are needed at this time. 

PPE donations are accepted through Catherine Hagadorn, program coordinator for the Quality, Safety, and Value Department, by e-mailing Catherine.Hagadorn@svhealthcare.org or calling 802-447-5600.

“PPE is crucial in treating COVID-19 patients safely, and we are in urgent need,” said Shiela Boni, MSN, RN, who oversees the hospital’s PPE supply. “SVHC is asking everyone with access to PPE or the ability to make PPE to come to our aid by donating it to the courageous clinicians on the front line of this pandemic.”

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

A COVID-19 information hotline is available for community members. The number, 802-440-8844, is answered 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekdays. A recorded message provides the most frequently requested information. Telephone numbers and other COVID-19 information, including frequently asked questions and helpful resources, are available at svhealthcare.org/covid-19.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.