Even as vaccine distribution crawls along in Massachusetts, calls for personal protective gear like masks, gowns and gloves are still common.
The organization "Get Us PPE" spun up last winter to help with shortages of personal protective equipment as the pandemic took hold in the United States.
The group's executive director, Dr. Shihka Gupta, said the organization, which has Massachusetts ties, is still around now because the need for PPE has not diminished. In fact, the need has shifted over the course of the pandemic from larger hospitals to smaller clinics, homeless shelters and congregant care facilities.
"What we've seen happen, in essence, is a deepening of the divide that exists between the haves and have nots in healthcare," Gupta said. "This is a fundamental piece of inequity that has always existed in the American healthcare system, but there are times that really highlight that inequity. PPE distribution has been one of them. We've started to see that — it's a pervasive issue, but the people who are able to dig themselves out from under the weight of not having protective equipment are the ones who have access to money, to resources and to everything else you think of a well-functioning healthcare system."
Gupta said the most requested items in Massachusetts are gloves, gowns and N95 masks.
PPE shortages are a nationwide isssue. President Joe Biden's administration has said that it plans to invoke the Defense Production Act to help with both PPE production and vaccine shortages.
Will Shih, a professor at Harvard Business School, said he's not sure if invoking the act will have a demonstrable impact on vaccines or PPE but that it's a positive signal that the administration considers the pandemic a national priority.
Click on the audio player above to listen to the full episode.
Segments:
Willy Shih - 2:32
Dr. Shihka Gupta - 11:09
