Hi everybody! I am so excited to be writing this blog because WE ARE OPEN!! And part of the reason we are able to open and see our fabulous patients has a pretty cool backstory that I want to share with you. As always, we are dedicated to the safety of our patients, our staff, and all of our families. We have been diligently working to make sure that we follow our local, state, and board licensure guidelines for proper protection for all of us, as we navigate returning back to our clinic to provide our much needed hearing healthcare services. Part of those requirements involved obtaining PPE that has never been required in an audiology clinic and as I am sure you know, most of that equipment is extremely hard to come by because of this pandemic!
Colorado has an amazing group of audiologists that are diligent about working together and sharing resources. A colleague shared with me a program Make4Covid.co which is a non-profit organization that is using their 3-D printers and other resources to provide appropriate PPE for healthcare clinics. Masks are extremely hard to find these days, and I have been exhausting all of my normal resources trying to get enough so we could return back to work safely. I have been placed on several lists to get supplies but most often have run into the situation where they are all back-ordered. I had a colleague text me this resource one afternoon and as I was home, I had the time, quickly filled out the application for face shields, face masks, and ear protectors hoping that I would be able to get my hands on something. A few days later, I was sitting at the table with my kids painting and my cell phone rings. It was a number I have never seen before and I typically do not answer but something that day told me to go ahead and take the call. When I answered, a gentleman introduced himself as an officer with the USAF! First of all, when I heard the officer… my mind immediately suspected it was the fraternal order of the police asking for money… Then I realized exactly what USAF stands for, United States Air Force… (Don’t judge me. Home school and Coronavirus have taken a toll on all of us, lol) Then… I thought oh, crap. What in the world have I done!!! He goes on to explain that he is working with Make4Covid.co and that a civil air patrol officer will be flying the PPE that I applied for to our local airport and wondered if I would be available to pick it up!!!
My whole family was beyond excited to see the plane in the horizon, watch it land, and get to experience something so amazing during this crazy pandemic. I wanted to share some of the images. The civil air pilot was thrilled that my kids were so ecstatic and we were all so excited that we were able to get some supplies, but delivered in the coolest manner we can think of for our little rural area. Make4Covid.co is an amazing resource helping all of Colorado’s healthcare facilities remain safe and in business. If you have any money to spare, I highly recommend donating to them!
