In Response to the Mask and Sanitizer Shortage

Ongoing story of community building with Carepak

On March 9, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency. As the lockdown continued with uncertainty, our patients started to feel more anxious. There was a national shortage of masks, hand sanitizers, gloves, and other necessities that prevented patients from going outside to run errands and other critical tasks.

Two months later, the situation became dire - our patients who are mostly elderly and have complex medical conditions were the most vulnerable to the rapidly spreading pandemic. Our frontline workers, nurses, doctors, physical therapists, and medical assistants who care for our patients were also having difficulty obtaining their own protective gear.

People were panic shopping, stocking their homes with extra items. Due to high demand, it was challenging to acquire Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Carepak reached out to multiple wholesalers throughout the country to secure limited quantities of PPEs - enough to prepare care packages for all our patients and healthcare workers.

As of June 2020, Carepak was able to provide over 10,000 masks and 2,000 hand sanitizers to our patients, their caregivers, and healthcare providers!