NEWS RELEASE
THE COUNTY OF SIMCOE
*************************
MIDHURST – The donation campaign for existing PPE within our communities is proving vital for the ongoing provision of front line health care services in Simcoe and Muskoka during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health partners, including the County of Simcoe, the District of Muskoka, and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, continue to work together to collect Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and critical supplies from local businesses and community members and redistribute them to keep our health system operating.
Health and emergency services, such as, long-term care, hospitals, home and community care, first responders, and public health, have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and have dramatically increased their use of PPE to protect residents, patients and health care workers. To cope with this rapid increase in demand for medical supplies and equipment, health partners worked together to develop the PPE donation campaign, collecting more than 10,000 items in the first two months through private and commercial donations.
The generosity of residents and businesses to-date is greatly appreciated; however, further PPE is required to maintain supplies through the duration of the pandemic.
PPE that is still in high demand includes:
- N95 masks
- Medical grade surgical masks
- Face shields
- Nitrile gloves (latex-free)
- Medical gowns
- Disinfectant wipes with bleach cleaner
Any businesses or community members looking to donate items can email [email protected]. Information about how and where to send donations is available at www.smdhu.org/donations. All donations received will be collected in central depots in Simcoe and Muskoka and will be issued to local health care providers in order of priority, as determined by the Province of Ontario. We will work with you to arrange pick-up or delivery. Businesses supplying goods for purchase can also reach out to individual partners.
Quotes
“Thank you to all our businesses and residents who have kindly donated Personal Protective Equipment to keep our front line workers safe and allow them to provide care to vulnerable residents. Keeping front line workers safe and our health care system operating remains critical as restrictions are lifted and we start to gradually reopen our local economy. We continue to ask residents and businesses to help us to ensure the health of our local communities by donating items to our PPE campaign where possible. Additional supplies are needed and we appreciate the support.” – County of Simcoe Warden George Cornell
“We are very grateful for the PPE donations we have received so far from generous donors in Muskoka and Simcoe. Thank you for helping to keep our dedicated front line workers safe and healthy during this very challenging time. Please continue to support this important PPE campaign so that these essential workers can continue to safely provide the many services our communities rely on.”– District of Muskoka Chair John Klinck
County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at www.simcoe.ca.
The District of Muskoka provides many essential services to residents across six Area Municipalities including: paramedic service, social services, long-term care, water and wastewater, waste management and more. For more information about the key service responsibilities of the District and Area Municipalities in Muskoka’s two-tier municipal system, please visit: www.muskoka.on.ca.
*************************
