Gofundme seeks to raise $10K to buy masks for two hospitals
It took only one day of combined efforts and fundraising to collect more than $5,000 to help Greenwich Hospital and Stamford Hospital as they treat an increasing number of patients during the coronavirus outbreak.
Caitlin Stote, a Stamford resident, set up the fundraiser on gofundme.com to raise money to buy protective gear for both hospitals.
Stote stated on the site that she hoped to raise $5,000 to pay for a shipment of 1,000 N95 CDC certified masks. The masks will be purchased from Physician’s Biomedical Equipment Services and will be split between Greenwich and Stamford hospitals.
Not having the proper protection raises the risk of healthcare workers becoming ill from COVID-19.
Nine doctors at Greenwich Hospital have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, Marna Borgstein, president and CEO of the Yale New Haven Health System, said at a Monday press conference.
As of Tuesday, Greenwich Hospital had nearly 100 patients undergoing treatment for the coronavirus at their facility.
“All of my family work in healthcare,” Stote, 28, said of her idea to organize the fundraiser. “My mom is a nurse, my sister is a nurse, and my brother-in-law is a nurse.”
Stote’s brother-in-law,
Jeffrey Collins, works on the intensive care unit floor at Greenwich Hospital.
“My sister is very worried about him, he is exposed to patients a lot,” said Stote, a Fairfield University graduate who works at Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist in Stamford. “She told me Greenwich Hospital was running out of N95 masks and Stamford Hospital is running out of masks.”
Stote began approaching people in her area for masks, asking construction workers and hairdressers if they had any extra masks.
A construction worker donated a box of masks, and then a family friend connected her with Physician’s Biomedical Equipment Services, which are supplying the N95 masks for the fundraiser.
The fundraiser, which Stote organized over the weekend, has been highly successful. The goal of raising $5,000 was reached and surpassed by 5 p.m. on Monday, less than 24 hours after she started it.
By Wednesday morning, nearly 100 people had donated to the cause, bringing over $8,800. Now a new goal has been set.
“We’ve exceeded our goal,” Stote posted on her gofundme.com page. “We our awaiting our first shipment of masks and are looking into ordering even more than 1,000. Our new goal is $10,000.”