Healthcare workers across Illinois and nationwide are in need of personal protective equipment, or PPE, as they work on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
If you have items like masks, gloves, gowns and more, here's how you can donate them to a few Chicago-area hospitals, plus other ways you can pitch in:
Contact the State of Illinois
- The state of Illinois is looking for the following items: masks (N95, earloop, surgical), gowns (isolation, non-descript), gloves (nitrile, sterile, surgical), face shields, goggles, infection control kits, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and forehead thermometers
- All items must be unopened and in the manufacturer's original packaging
- If you have any donations, please email state officials at ppe.donations@illinois.gov, including the quantities you have of each item as well as your address to determine the best drop-off point
- State officials will get in contact with next steps. Smaller donations may be directed to donate to nearby police, fire and EMS services to minimize travel. The state also recommends contacting first responders in your area to see if they can utilize your items
Plans to convert part of Chicago’s McCormick Place into an alternate care facility for coronavirus patients are underway.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
- Only factory-made hospital quality supplies including N-95 masks, face shields, gloves, gowns, sanitizer and swabs can be donated
- Anyone interested in donating must first fill out a form
- Email supplydonations@nm.org
University of Chicago Medical Center
- Most urgently needed supplies include (PDI) disinfectant wipes, surgical masks, N-95 masks and sterile, cotton-tipped swabs (specifically BD #220531)
- If you have medical supplies or products that are from a verifiable vendor source and in bulk quantities, please submit a supply intake form
Rush University Medical Center
- To donate to Rush University Medical Center, email Associate Vice President for Supply Chain Operations Quincy Stanley at quincy_stanley@rush.edu
- The hospital lists other ways to help on its website
Edward-Elmhurst Health
- Items most needed include N95 masks, procedural/surgical masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, nitrile gloves, isolation gowns, goggles and thermometers
- Donations can be dropped off at one of the hospitals loading docks 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday
Advocate Health Care
- Items can be dropped off at any Advocate Health Care hospital in Illinois or Aurora Health Care hospital in Wisconsin at the hospitals’ shipping and receiving docks
- Email covidaahsupplydonations@aurora.org to see if your donation qualifies and receive updates on how to help
