As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, relief funds are receiving help from brands, companies, and individuals to provide personal protective equipment and other resources for health workers that may help in fighting against the virus.
The help is primarily in the form of items or funding. Some of the brands actively involved in helping healthcare workers are listed below.
Apple
The brand is currently donating 10million masks to healthcare workers across Europe and the USA where the pandemic hit hard. The CEO took to Twitter to announce this initiative by saying that the healthcare workers deserve people’s gratitude for all their efforts in ensuring everyone is safe from the Coronavirus. The company has also donated funding of $15 million worldwide to cater for treatment and shoulder the economy.
Apple is also sourcing easy to assemble face masks through its global supply chain. It has also shifted its expertise to manufacturing and creating face shields for healthcare professionals working to counter the current pandemic. The company has started a brought together engineers, product designers, and packaging teams to design, manufacture and supply face shields.
Louis Vuitton
This clothing brand dedicated itself to the production of PPEs for healthcare workers. Personal Protective Equipment is not recyclable, which means that each day, thousands of them are needed by healthcare workers. Louis Vuitton stepped in to help hospitals meet the rising demand of PPEs. They produce masks and gowns. Additionally, their perfume production sector began mass production of hand sanitizers to curb the shortage of disinfectants in France.
Crocs
This brand has been responsible for the production of comfortable footwear for healthcare workers for a long time now. In the wake of the pandemic, it began a campaign Dabbed “A free pair for Healthcare” which presently gives 10000 pairs of crocs a day. The crocs are distributed to various hospitals in the United States for use by care givers. With the long working hours, they need comfortable shoes, and thanks to Crocs, this has been made possible.
Facebook began an online fundraiser to support healthcare workers on the frontline which raised approximately $25 million and matched $20 million for the same cause. The brand has also been of help in raising awareness and giving verified information regarding the pandemic to help in the reduction of infections.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The foundation recently announced a donation of $100 million for the response of the covid19 pandemic. The funding was to be channeled towards testing, isolation, and treatment of the disease. The foundation has also been supporting the research and development of vaccines.
Google has been vital in helping healthcare workers create awareness of the pandemic. This includes statistics, prevention measures, and information on the closest health facility for victims. Moreover, it has helped in the production of screening devices for better diagnosis. Anytime you search anything on Google, you will see a pop-up notification about the Coronavirus.
The aim of this is to educate Google users about the pandemic. For instance, if you wish to know how many people have been infected by the virus in the world, you can use Google. The information is updated every minute so you cannot miss out on any important information. Such information is helpful to health workers in that it saves them the trouble of having to educate people about the crisis.
Nike
The shoe brand partnered with the world health organization (WHO) and committed more than $25 million dollars in the global response for the pandemic. They also partnered with health professionals at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), to produce personal protective equipment like full-face shields and powered, air-purifying respirator (PAPR) lenses to help healthcare workers protect themselves as they handle patients infected with the coronavirus.
Figs
Figs is renowned for its premium scrubs. The company is donating scrubs to hospitals in the United States, particularly those handling high COVID-19 patients. Figs co-founders said that it is their responsibility to help and support healthcare workers during these extraordinary times. The company ships scrubs for free 24/7 to make sure that workers have what they need to keep themselves safe while serving others.
Hilton and American Express
Hilton has partnered with American Express to donate approximately one million hotel rooms for night stays across the United States to medical professionals tirelessly working during this pandemic. The rooms are available to nurses, doctors, paramedics, Emergency Medical technicians (EMTs), and other medical staff who need somewhere to isolate, sleep, or recharge from their busy schedules.
World Health Organization
This list would be incomplete without the mention of the World Health Organization. Its contribution toward the fight if the Coronavirus pandemic is immense. WHO has been looking for donors and well-wishers who can donate funds and other essentials to health care workers.
World Health Organization is also helping developing countries raise funds to help them deal with the effects of COVID-19. In addition to this, WHO has partnered with various organizations to offer funding to researchers working towards finding a remedy to mitigate the current impacts of COVID-19.
Health Workers- The Frontline Soldiers
Healthcare workers are doing so much to save the lives of those affected by COVID-19. For some, they are forced to work long hours to at least meet the rising demand for human labor in health facilities. Most are battling burnouts as a result of working in a stressful work environment.
Besides, it is the first health pandemic of this nature that the healthcare workers are dealing with. Major brands across the globe are aware of the efforts that these people are putting to see everyone safe, in some instances, putting their health at stake. To appreciate their contribution towards the fight of the Coronavirus, these brands are helping the workers in various ways.
The assistance offered by these companies has helped ease the pressure that the workers experience both at health facilities and in homes when offering home-based care. Most brands are doing something to help health workers. Apart from the listed, other companies that have offered great help to these professionals are Toyota, Ford, General Motors, Helix Sleep, and Made in Cookware.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
