“In our own small way, and within our own community, maybe we can help find a solution.” For Yabu Pushelberg co-founders Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu, this drive to alleviate the COVID-19 crisis spurred the creation of a fundraising campaign to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals in Yabu Pushelberg’s home cities of Toronto and New York.
Kicked off in early April, the Help Hospitals fundraiser is addressing the critical shortage of N95 masks, gowns, gloves and other PPE for healthcare providers. “This shortage of PPE puts hospital workers at serious risk, compromising their ability to work should they be infected, and leaving fewer caregivers on the front lines of treatment,” the design duo explains.
Working in collaboration with the Bethune Medical Development Association of Canada (BMDAC), Yabu Pushelberg have procured direct access to hospital-grade PPE and the network to distribute them directly to the healthcare facilities most in need. BMDAC has already facilitated the arrival of over seven tonnes of PPE from China this month, including tens of thousands of gloves, gowns, masks and goggles, which were all donated to under-resourced Toronto hospitals.
The next step is “mobilizing members and friends of the global design community” say the designers, and the work is already underway. To help the cause, the Help Hospitals GoFundMe campaign that has already raised over $33,000 from sponsors in just five days. Targeting a $250,000 goal, the fundraiser has brought together a range of sponsors from around the world.
The initial shipments of PPE are slated to be sent to St. Michael’s in downtown Toronto and New York City’s Elmhurst Hospital Centre in Queens, two major hubs for COVID-19 treatment in North America. A link to the Help Hospitals GoFundMe campaign is available below:
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The acclaimed design duo is spearheading a fundraising campaign to support hard-hit hospitals in New York and Toronto.