PCAA donates medical supplies
Published 8:52 pm Monday, April 13, 2020
- Donations of personal protective equipment by the Peninsula Chinese American Association were made to Virginia Oncology Associates Newport News were received by Dr. Ligeng Tian and two office managers of VOA, second, third and fourth from left. Also pictured are Yan Lin, president of PCAA, and Feng Zhou, vice president of PCAA. (submitted photo)
The Peninsula Chinese American Association recently donated thousands of items of personal protective equipment to health care facilities on the Peninsula to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The association collected more than 10,000 items of personal protective equipment from its members. They also raised more than $16,000 to help purchase additional critically needed supplies, said Elizabeth S. Tai of the Peninsula Chinese American Association.
“I feel we are all in this together,” Tai said. “We need to do something to protect the people who are protecting us. That’s very important to us.”
Tai said when the novel coronavirus first broke out in China last year, many relatives here had purchased supplies and shipped them over there. However, now that the outbreak has subsided somewhat in China and is rising in Virginia, the unused supplies got shipped back, Tai said.
“The virus has tamped down a little bit over there, but we need the PPE supplies in Virginia and the U.S. right now,” Tai said. “We emailed a friend there. We asked them if they had any of the PPE left, because they’re a little better now.”
The association paid the shipping for the supplies to get sent back to the Peninsula and has since been distributing them to health care facilities.
Tai said items have been donated to Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, Sentara CarePlex Hospital, Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital, Virginia Oncology Associates Newport News and TPMG Family Medicine Yorktown. The items include medical masks, gloves, protective eyewear, face shields, gowns and more.
Tai also said some of the donations came from friends and family in China.
“It’s heartwarming,” Tai said. “We’re all in this together.”
Tai said many of the association’s members know people who work at the various health care facilities, and that makes it a cause near and dear to their hearts.
“We want to donate to local hospitals to keep the health care professionals safe on their job,” she said. “We will continue our effort to donate these desperately needed medical supplies as soon as more shipments arrive from overseas.”