Beaufort Co. received coronavirus supplies from the national stockpile. What’s in it?
Beaufort County received a shipment from the United States Strategic National Stockpile Friday and a second one could come at the end of the week, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage said Wednesday.
The national stockpile includes medical items kept by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for response to emergencies that could cause supplies to run out.
The state received a portion of the stockpile last week and sent items to counties based on population need, Rick Toomey, director of S.C. Department of Health and Education Control previously said during press conferences.
Bromage said the county received items for personal protection such as latex gloves, N-95 masks, gowns and face shields.
The items were distributed to county EMS, fire and police departments, Bromage said. Hospitals did not receive any items from the stockpile.
Here’s what Hilton Head Fire Rescue received from the stockpile:
- 120 N-95 masks
- 60 gowns
- 500 surgical masks
- 96 three-quarter face shields
Joheida Fister of Hilton Head Fire Rescue said that while the supplies help, officials are worried it isn’t enough.
“We just don’t know what tomorrow will be like or the day after that,” Fister said. “If the numbers do escalate, we can’t maintain that supply.”
The supplies are needed to protect EMS personnel responding to calls, Fister said. It keeps staff safe and healthy so they can continue caring for patients, she said.
“We could have a significant portion of the population affected because of the age of our population,” Fister said. “We are trying to do everything we can do so we keep ourselves safe and the people we come in contact with as well.”
The department has been calling vendors to order more supplies, but that hasn’t been successful.
Fister said the department is asking any business that has equipment such as gowns or masks to donate them.
“If anybody in the community has anything,” Fister said. “Any of our dentists, vets, doctor’s offices (that) have closed and could donate supplies to us, we have bins outside our fire stations,” Fister said.
That includes a bin at the department’s headquarters located at 40 Summit Drive.
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 6:53 PM.