Salinas Valley Health Partners with Community on Supply Needs

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

As the community transmission of COVID 19 in Monterey County increases, Salinas Valley Health (Salinas Valley Health) is responding to offers from local businesses to donate protective equipment in short supply nationwide. Specifically, the Hospital wants to ensure it has an ample stockpile of N95 masks for frontline health care workers to meet the needs of an extended pandemic.

“This need is certainly not unique to us,” says Pete Delgado, Salinas Valley Health President/CEO. “Right now we’re okay, however it makes sense to act quickly in this supply and demand environment to provide the best protection to our staff and the community.”

Supplies are so scarce for healthcare providers, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and the American Nurses Association are urging the Federal Government to immediately use the Defense Production Act to increase domestic production of needed medical supplies and equipment.

Until the back order of medical supplies is met across many states, a few individual business leaders in this region felt compelled to donate what they thought might be of use – a limited number of N95 masks, boxes of Nitrile gloves, and even some Tyvex suits, which provide a higher level of protection than scrubs. Salinas Valley Health President/CEO Pete Delgado expressed appreciation for the offer of support and is confident other organizations, businesses and individuals will step forward to meet the future demands of treating COVID 19 patients.

“I know the heart of this community and we can get through anything together,” says Delgado. “This pandemic is a challenge. We proactively put our processes in place and they’re working. We just need to equip our staff with enough of the right protective gear to outlast the threat.”

Salinas Valley Health is directing people with unused masks that meet N95 criteria to call 831-755-0772. Salinas Valley Health staff will coordinate with the caller and answer questions about donations being accepted.