With Help from Generous Donor, MNA Purchases and Begins to Distribute Tens of Thousands of Desperately Needed KN95 Respirator Masks to Its Nurses and Healthcare Professionals Across the State

Thousands of other donations -- from scrubs and sneakers, to snacks and water -- pour in from businesses, unions, and individuals from around the commonwealth and country

News provided by

Massachusetts Nurses Association

Apr 15, 2020, 09:15 ET

CANTON, Mass., April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of dangerous delays in the provision of desperately needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for nurses and healthcare professionals (HCPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lack of an adequate state and federal effort to provide needed protections, the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), in conjunction with donors, contractors, and outside organizations, has successfully acquired and is now distributing a significant quantity of PPE and other supplies to its members statewide. Donations include:

20,000 FDA-approved KN95 respirator masks, with another 40,000 on the way
Skyhawk Therapeutics and Dragonfly Therapeutics, based in Waltham, Mass., donated $150,000 for the purchase of one of the most urgently needed PPE: FDA-approved KN95 respirator masks.

"These medical-grade masks are essential to the safety and well-being of our nurses and healthcare professionals," said Donna Kelly-Williams, RN and MNA president. "Without this PPE, our frontline caregivers are just as susceptible to COVID-19 as every visitor and patient they interact with and care for. If most of our frontline caregivers were to become sick, the entire healthcare system would be compromised. But thanks to this donation, our members can care for patients during this pandemic safely and without fear."

"Simply thanking Skyhawk Therapeutics and Dragonfly Therapeutics for these donations really isn't enough," added Kelly-Williams. "Their generosity is beyond words, and it is beyond measure."

The MNA also used a sizeable portion of its own budget to purchase PPE for its members. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and both social distancing and the commonwealth's state of emergency got underway, it meant that the MNA had to cancel its spring education curriculum for members. Those funds were entirely redirected to the purchase of PPE, including the KN95s and, next, face shields.

Distribution of the PPE is now underway, with deliveries — of proportional size, and based on need — being made to MNA facilities across the state by MNA staff members and union leaders. These deliveries will continue to roll out during this month's anticipated surge and will continue for as long as the items are available and needed. [For information on the MNA's PPE deliveries within your readership/viewership, email [email protected] and/or [email protected].]

Other groups that also contributed in-kind donations of, or monetary donations for, PPE include IBEW Local 103, which donated 20,000 medical-grade N95s; countless small businesses; and more than 80 individuals who added to the MNA's online fundraising efforts at massnurses.org/PPEdonations.

Additional donations

2,600 face shields, manufactured and donated by Autodesk
500 sets of scrubs, with more on the way, from Barco Uniforms as part of its "Project Gratitude" initiative
200 pairs of sneakers, with an additional 18,000 on the way, from Puma
400 headbands, also from Puma
KIND bars from the KIND company
Bottled of water from Anheuser-Busch

"The toll this virus is taking on our members is profound, and it affects all parts of their daily routines," said Kelly-Williams. "Hospitals have been short on scrubs, and they are hard to come by. Nurses are worried about walking into their homes with sneakers on that they wore at work all day. They have gone hungry and thirsty during their shifts because hospitals have closed their cafeterias, and local convenience stores and delivery services are either closed or overwhelmed."

"Donations of items like scrubs, sneakers, snacks, and water go a long way in making nurses' lives feel a little more manageable," added Kelly-Williams. "We are so grateful that, and for the generosity of these companies, organizations, and individuals."

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association