'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Station 19' among shows donating masks and gloves to doctors fighting coronavirus
With medical supplies in high demand in hospitals throughout the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, the casts and crews of medical dramas are doing their best to help.
The people behind "Grey's Anatomy," "Station 19" and "The Resident" are donating masks, gowns and gloves to those who need them most.
"At 'Station 19,' we were lucky enough to have about 300 of the coveted N95 masks which we donated to our local fire station. They were tremendously grateful. At 'Grey’s Anatomy,' we have a back-stock of gowns and gloves which we are donating as well," Krista Vernoff, executive producer of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and "Station 19" told "Good Morning America" in a statement. "We are all overwhelmed with gratitude for our healthcare workers during this incredibly difficult time, and in addition to these donations, we are doing our part to help them by staying home."
Dr. Karen Law, a rheumatologist at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, shared that the producers of "The Resident" on FOX sent over "all the things our healthcare workers need to provide safe care for our community during #COVID19."
"Yesterday, I had a serious discussion with the residents about how, though supplies are low, a magical shipment of masks is unlikely to arrive. And yet, a magical shipment of masks DID arrive, in the form of this very generous gesture," she wrote. "This kind of community support means so much to our #frontlineproviders who are making many sacrifices to staff our hospitals and care for our community."
Despite government efforts to increase the United States' coronavirus testing capacity, some physicians have not been able to test their patients due to a dearth of medical supplies. According to guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, doctors performing COVID-19 tests should don personal protective equipment, including gloves, gowns and face and eye protection, to ensure that they don't contract the virus themselves.
Scott Steiner, CEO of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, told ABC News that his staff has "gone through ... six months of personal protective equipment in just seven days."
The U.S. has a stockpile of 13 million N95 respirator masks, but it's likely not enough. The federal government said that as many as 1 billion masks might be needed over the next six months.
