Concerns are being raised about the safety of front line staff at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance as they care for patients during the pandemic. 
Lisa Northcott, Chief Nursing Executive says the Health Alliance is making sure it has enough appropriate Personal protective equipment like masks and gowns.
“We’re drawing on our pandemic supply inventory, and that inventory is something that hospitals and health care organizations have in place for times like this when there are supply chain challenges and issues,” Northcott explains. “We have strategic sourcing strategists working literally 24 hours around the clock trying to continue sourcing supplies for us to ensure we have this protective equipment for our staff.”
Meantime, the Christian Labour Association of Canada is collecting PPE, including hospital-grade masks.
Northcott says the Christian Labour Association of Canada drive is in response to a national shortage of hospital-grade masks and other PPE.
“They’re having different organizations outside of health care that might have masks and other protective equipment, they’re doing a drive to ask those individuals to donate that so health care workers can use that equipment. We want to thank CLAC for that, and tell them we really appreciate their efforts.”
Donations of any unused medical masks, including procedural masks, mask with face shields, and N95 masks, can be dropped off at the CLAC office at 455 Keil Drive in Chatham between 8:30am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday.