At an event held at the Foundation’s warehouse in Hyattsville, Maryland, on July 22, MedStar Foundation donated over $1.4 million worth of Personal Protective Equipment and two CPAP machines to Sewa International. The PPE includes N-95 equivalent masks, face shields, gloves, goggles, and full-length PP attire.
Maryland Chapter coordinator of Sewa International, Dr Anita Roy, was provided with the PPE by Ed Robinson, MedStar Health’s vice president of Integrated Support Operations. The acting liaison between MedStar and Sewa International was Dr Siva Subramanian, Indian American community leader from Washington, DC, and a pediatric cardiologist at the Georgetown Medical Center. The donated materials were sent to Sewa International’s Atlanta, Georgia, warehouse from Hyattsville, Maryland, right after the event in as many as seven 18-wheeler trucks.
“We saw some of the challenges caused by the shortages of PPE in the rest of the world and we had some surplus PPE in our system. We thought it would be great if we could donate it to some other relief efforts that are going on. I thank Dr Siva for connecting Sewa with MedStar and we wish Sewa the best and appreciate the work they are doing,” Robinson was quoted as saying at the event.
“This is the largest in-kind medical equipment donation Sewa has received from a hospital system in the U.S. Sewa is sending the PPE to Trinidad and Tobago and to a few countries in South America which are experiencing the second wave of COVID-19 cases. The CPAP machines will go to India,” said Sree Sreenath, former president of Sewa International, present at the event.
As per MedStar’s website, “MedStar Health strives to provide the highest quality care for people in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., with compassion and respect. We know that our ability to treat others well begins with how we treat each other. Our 30,000 associates and 5,400 affiliated physicians are committed to living our core SPIRIT values—Service, Patient first, Integrity, Respect, Innovation, and Teamwork—no matter where they work across our diverse health system.”
“At MedStar Health, we use the best of our minds and the best of our hearts to serve our patients, those who care for them, and our communities.” the website says.
