Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus provided an update on Monday regarding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that the County has distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The County continues to ensure that our first responders and medical personnel have the resources and equipment needed to protect themselves as they perform their duties on the frontlines of this public health emergency,” Neuhaus said. “I’m proud of the hard work and effort of our Emergency Services team, in collaboration with other County Departments, who have been distributing essential PPE throughout the County in a timely and efficient manner. We will continue to provide this vital equipment to the brave men and women who need it most, and to advocate for them during this unprecedented time.”
The County’s Emergency Services Department has worked in coordination with the Health Department and General Services to procure and distribute PPE to first responders, medical facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, assisted living facilities and municipalities to help address their needs and support their functional operations. The County’s Emergency Operations Center was activated in response to the COVID-19 outbreak on Thursday, March 5th and has remained fully-staffed every day since, which is its longest ongoing emergency response operation since it opened in 2008.
“As we have seen with this pandemic, PPE is essential to keep our workers on the frontlines safe,” Orange County Commissioner of Emergency Services Brendan Casey said. “At the direction of County Executive Neuhaus, we had a strategic stockpile, and continue to acquire equipment. This has put us in the best possible position to provide critical tools to help those on the frontline to combat this horrible viral infection.”
Since March 24th, working with New York State and private vendors, Orange County has distributed more than 15,964 surgical gowns, 31,338 N-95 masks, 110,564 surgical masks, 51,398 pairs of gloves, 760 gallons of hand sanitizer and 4,931 face shields and 3,504 goggles. This is a breakdown of how the County has distributed its PPE:
distributed its PPE:
“We will not let our guard down and will continue our efforts to procure essential PPE for our medical providers," Neuhaus said
For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.
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