Health & Fitness
SC County gets part of $22M Kaiser Permanente COVID safety ware
Kaiser Permanente has donated $22M in masks, wipes, sanitizers and more and part of that is coming to three groups in Santa Cruz County.
Santa Cruz County farmworkers, students, and other vulnerable residents will be more protected from COVID-19 thanks to donations of critical cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) from Kaiser Permanente and SupplyBank.org.
Kaiser Permanente donated the PPE and sanitation supplies to SupplyBank.org, a nonprofit agency that distributes critical supplies to under-resourced communities at no cost.
In Santa Cruz County, nearly 300,000 sanitizing wipes, more than 8,000 N95 masks, and more than 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer were donated to the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc., First 5 Santa Cruz County, and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.
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“The Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc. (CAB) is extremely grateful to Kaiser Permanente and SupplyBank.org for providing our agency with these critical PPE supplies,” said Helen Ewan-Storey, assistant director of CAB. “These supplies will help CAB keep farmworkers in the North Coast area -- day workers throughout the county, and families attending vaccine and booster clinics in south county, along with our staff -- safer, healthier and more resilient as we move through the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Kaiser Permanente donated nearly $22 million of critical cleaning supplies and PPE, including sanitary wipes, hand sanitizers, protective gowns and masks to schools and community-based organizations throughout California. The donations mean these organizations don’t have to purchase these supplies as they help to protect students, staff, and homeless individuals from the virus.
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Kaiser Permanente, committed to improving the health of the communities it serves, recognizes the ongoing need for PPE and sanitation supplies, especially in those communities disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We care about the health of our Santa Cruz County community, and personal protective equipment and sanitizing supplies have played a critical role in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in our schools and communities,” said Irene Chavez, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente San Jose and Santa Cruz County Area. “We are proud to work with SupplyBank.org to help ease the burden of purchasing supplies, particularly in under-resourced communities.”
Other community-based organizations throughout California receiving donated materials include county offices of educations, school districts, County Children and Family Commissions (First 5s), and Community Services Block Grant Agencies. Organizations in Oregon and Washington state will also receive materials. First 5 California and the California Department of Community Services and Development also contributed to shipping and warehousing costs.
“SupplyBank.org continues to be engaged to ensure our 500 partner organizations have what they need to protect their communities and reduce the spread of the virus,” said Benito Delgado-Olson, founder and executive director of SupplyBank.org. “This tremendous gift from Kaiser Permanente is making that possible for the foreseeable future.”