Smarty Call for Action Alert: Community Volunteer Group Creates Grassroots Movement ‘CLTgivePPE’ for Personal Protective Equipment to Support Frontline Workers

A grassroots community movement called CLTgivePPE is addressing the massive shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in our local clinics and healthcare systems during the COVID-19 crisis.

Spearheaded by lead physician volunteer, Sheila Natarajan, MD with a group of clinicians, physicians and community advocates this volunteer group has organized a city-wide PPE donation drive in partnership with Atrium Health, Novant Health and the Mecklenburg County Health Department. They are also accepting fabric donations for its volunteers that are making face masks and medical gowns.

In collaboration with Goodwill Industries of Southern Piedmont and Lowe’s Home Improvement beginning Thursday, April 2nd through April 23rd Goodwill Industries will reopen two Charlotte locations and provide staff to accept the donated PPE items every Thursday and Saturday from 12:00pm-4:00pm.

Goodwill Opportunity Campus – 5301 Wilkinson Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28208
Goodwill Ballantyne – 16025 Lancaster Hwy., Charlotte, NC 28277

“Never before in modern history have we faced such a shortage in N95 masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE). Asking a healthcare provider to treat patients during this COVID pandemic without adequate PPE is the equivalent of sending a soldier into battle without armor. If you lose your soldiers to the disease you lose the war,” said Sheila Natarajan, MD, of Integra Rehabilitation Physicians.

Elizabeth Star-Winer, Trustee for Winer Family Foundation and community advocate volunteer states, “the importance of our community rallying together to support our frontline workers is at a pivotal point in our fight against COVID-19. The PPE donation drive can literally help to save lives with masks, gloves and gowns so our healthcare providers can focus on patient care.”

The movement is also fundraising through GoFundMe to purchase reusable respirator masks which will provide significantly more protection to frontline workers than a regular surgical mask. An initial fundraising goal of $20,000 will allow the purchase of these masks at $7 each and provide every patient-facing provider with a sustainable form of protection.

About CLTgivePPE
CLTgivePPE is a Charlotte, N.C. grassroots movement that was started by Sheila Natarajan, MD along with other local physicians and community advocates to address the massive shortage of PPE in our local clinics and healthcare systems during the COVID-19 crisis. The movement is a call to arms for donated PPE items and fundraising monetary support. For more information, visit Facebook or Instagram @CLTgivePPE, call 980-233-3900 or email CLTgivePPE@gmail.com.

Informational flyer about Goodwill donation drive.

GOFUNDME
https://www.gofundme.com/f/cltgiveppe

LINKTREE
https://linktr.ee/cltgiveppe

FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/CLTgivePPE/

INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/cltgiveppe/

DIRECTIONS FOR HANDMADE MASKS
*written instructions can be found on Linktree (see link above)

Thank for Supporting our Healthcare Providers!
~ The #CLTgivePPE Team