Over 100 hospitals and organizations will receive life saving equipment
This is the first time the PPE project has left the NY Metro Region since the start of the Covid-19 crisis
New York, NY (September 9, 2020) — Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes, which has put over 775,000 pieces of PPE directly in the hands of those who most need it since the start of the COVID-19 crisis in the New York area, will be headed to over 100 hospitals and long term care facilities in Miami-Dade County, Florida this month. Volunteers will be handing out PPE between September 11-20 to at least 115 locations, including 8 hospitals, 99 assisted living and nursing home facilities, home health aide agencies and a major homeless shelter in the Miami-Dade area.
Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes has teamed up with the City of Hialeah Firefighters, Hialeah Firefighters Benevolent Association, Children in Action, and H.O.P.E. Mission Center, which has been helping with organizing volunteers, logistics and coordination locally. This is the first time Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes is bringing PPE to hospital workers and those in need outside of the New York metro area.
The not-for-profit initiative plans to distribute 850,000 pieces of PPE, with a retail value of $1.5 million, while in Florida. At distributions outside hospitals, Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes volunteers will pass out PPE kits, which include one KN95 mask, 7 surgical masks, and a face shield, directly to every employee in attendance. In addition, they will hand out hair bonnets, ear savers, hand sanitizer, and other PPE items to give to those who need them.
Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes founder Rhonda Roland Shearer says, “The entire country was so supportive of NYC, with so many healthcare workers coming from all over to help treat patients, and this is our way of trying to return the favor and show New Yorkers care.”
Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes was founded by artist, journalist and philanthropist Rhonda Rhonda Shearer who borrowed $1 million against her home equity line and fundraised more than $500,000 in generous donations to a GoFundMe at www.cutredtape4heroes.org. Shearer has experience distributing PPE after 9/11 to uniformed workers at Ground Zero and has been an outspoken champion for the need for proper protective equipment after losing her partner to 9/11-related cancer two years ago.
Since its launch in April, Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes has handed out more than 775,000 items of PPE to more than 115,000 hospital, homeless shelter and nursing home workers, veterans, public housing residents in hot spots and others in need.
“We really appreciate everything that Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes is doing for us and our community. This has probably been one of the hardest and most heartbreaking times we’ve experienced in my two decades with the department. We are always the ones watching out for our community, at the frontlines, keeping people safe,” said City of Hialeah Fire Department Chief David Rodriguez. “To know that someone else is watching out for us, our neighbor from the north, this is exactly what we needed at this moment. It’s deeply recharging and motivating and helps us keep going.”
Organizers will post regular updates on deliveries and stops for the tour on the Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes Instagram account @cutredtape4heroes .
To request coverage or for more information on the distributions, contact info@asrlab.org.
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About Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes:
Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes puts essential PPE directly in the hands of those who need it to protect their patients, family, community and themselves during the COVID-19 crisis. Since April 20, Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes has handed out more than 775,000 items of PPE to more than 115,000 hospital, nursing home and homeless shelter workers, veterans, public housing residents in hot spots and others at risk. Recipients of this life-saving personal protective equipment (PPE) include workers at 26 NYC-area hospitals, 10 public housing complexes and 20 organizations serving the homeless population. Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes is a project of the NYC not-for-profit Art Science Research Laboratory in partnership with Housing Works. Learn more and make a tax-deductible donation at cutredtape4heroes.org. Follow us on social media @CutRedTape4Heroes on Facebook and Instagram and @CutRedTape4Hero on Twitter for updates or email info@asrlab.org for more information.
