Marquette County setting up PPE donation site for front line workers
MARQUETTE — Medical and cleaning supplies are in high demand throughout the country, and Marquette County is asking for help from the public to make sure its front line workers have the supplies they need.
Marquette County has set up a donation site in the entrance to Westwood Mall, and is asking people to donate Personal Protection Equipment to front line workers. As many of the state’s resources go to heavily infected areas, people in the UP are left to look after one another, which is a quality that is common around the Upper Peninsula.
“Well I think people here in the UP are pretty self-sufficient, and we do take care of each other,” said Teresa Schwalbach, Marquette County Emergency Management Coordinator. “We don’t expect to get help really fast. We know it’s gonna be a little bit slower, so we have to take care of each other. We have to be self-sufficient and take care of ourselves first, because it’s going to be a while before we get any state assistance or even federal assistance. That’s why we have to step up and take care of each other first.”
Donated resources will be given to area hospitals, long–term care facilities, assisted living facilities, law enforcement, EMS, and other front line workers.
Items requested for donation include:
- Medical gowns (ideally medical grade
- Medical gloves (ideally medical grade, all sizes)
- N-95 masks
- Surgical masks
- Shoe covers (booties)
- Hand sanitizer
The next donation site will be open Saturday, April 25th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.