Each issue of Chester County Hospital’s Health Empowerment Partnerships: Community Benefit Report shares ways in which the hospital helps the community it serves, in partnership with other county organizations and leaders. While this issue focuses on the efforts made in 2019, the hospital would be remiss in not mentioning the incredible show of support, togetherness, and love shown from our friends, families and neighbors during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in early 2020. It is a pleasant and heartwarming twist for this publication to be able to share how the community helped the hospital during its time of need.
While Chester County Hospital mobilized quickly to help slow the spread of the virus in March 2020, it was not prepared for the worldwide shortage of vital personal protection equipment (PPE) and disinfection supplies needed to keep frontline staff and patients safe. Within days of the Philadelphia region being hit with its first cases, the Chester County community reached out in droves offering their assistance. Messages included encouragement and support, but also requests for how they could help our healthcare heroes fight this pandemic.
After just one week, in response to the outpouring of support received, the hospital opened a drive-through donation center, asking for any PPE or cleaning supplies individuals, businesses or organizations may have. The call did not go unanswered.
As of May 2020, the hospital received more than 201,090 pieces of PPE, generously donated by the community.
As masks continued to become harder and harder to obtain, the hospital once again was overwhelmed with the community’s support and willingness to help. Countless individuals reached out offering to make hand sewn masks to keep our clinical staff and patients protected. The Chester County Hospital Foundation worked closely with these individuals, providing them medical-grade material that can be sanitized and templates for how to make these masks as safe as possible. The hospital received more than 61,000 handmade masks through this process.
The generosity and consideration for clinical staff on the front lines didn’t end there. Local restaurants, caterers, and businesses came together to not only keep our staff well-fed during their long shifts, but also to help support local, small businesses in the community during the Governor’s stay-at-home order, which forced many businesses to lose revenue or close. Local hotels reached out to offer a place for staff to stay, knowing that many feared taking the virus home to their families. Elementary school students sent homemade messages of thanks and encouragement to front line staff, touching the hearts of many.
The ways in which the hospital was supported by those it serves are many and the depths of Chester County Hospital’s gratitude knows no bounds. Hospital leadership, frontline staff, volunteers and employees are awestruck by all that each of you have done during this crisis—we could not have weathered the storm without you. Our friends, families and neighbors in Chester County are truly the hospital’s most treasured partnership of all.
