Scarce protective gear critical to mitigating spread of COVID-19

Catholic Eldercare, a Northeast Minneapolis provider of senior housing and services, recently received 425 face shields to help protect staff and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The generous donation from Corteva Agriscience, a global agriculture company, is both welcome and timely, as high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) continues to create shortages nationwide.

The face shields will be used throughout Catholic Eldercare’s housing sites and care center. “This equipment is essential in protecting our residents and staff,” says Diane Lucas, Director of Marketing for Catholic Eldercare. “We’re grateful to Corteva Agriscience for their generous donation; we have enough supply for each staff member to have a dedicated shield—not just today, but also for the weeks ahead.”

Like most care workers, staff at senior communities are on the front lines of the pandemic, and the scarcity of PPE is widespread. Corteva Agriscience employees first learned of Catholic Eldercare’s need at getusppe.org—a national web platform designed to connect PPE donors and manufacturers directly with healthcare providers.

According to Corteva Agriscience Wahpeton Production Location Manager, Bernie Greteman, such donations are a natural extension of the company’s robust COVID-19 response—one carefully designed to protect employees along the global food supply chain and support the unsung heroes of this crisis.

“In this time, we feel closer to the countless individuals typically unseen who, by virtue of showing up and carrying on, deserve tremendous gratitude and recognition,” says Greteman. “Nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals naturally come to mind, but I also think of grocers restocking shelves, truckers driving produce through the night, and, of course, the farmers who grow it all.”

Local businesses and organizations are also stepping up to help. In the past weeks, Catholic Eldercare has received many donations including N95 masks, face shields and hand sanitizer from Cub Foods, Bolger, Sisyphus Industries, Nordeast Makers and Tattersall Distilling’s All Hands initiative. Members of the community and resident families have supplied hand-made face masks, provided boxed lunches for staff and stopped by with messages of encouragement as well.

“We want to thank all those who have contributed their time, money and service to help protect our entire Catholic Eldercare family,” says Lucas. “We do better together, and we will get through this.”

The PPE is an essential component to Catholic Eldercare’s broader efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Leadership and staff are actively monitoring the evolving situation and taking precautions to prevent the virus spreading in community settings. The organization is working in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and following the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Guidance is changing daily as new information becomes available, and Catholic Eldercare is adapting as needed.

“Older adults are among the most vulnerable during these unprecedented times,” says Greg Baumberger, CEO of Catholic Eldercare. “As we continue to meet the challenges ahead, the health and safety of those in our care remains our top priority.”

To learn how you can help support Catholic Eldercare’s COVID-19 response, visit https://www.catholiceldercare.org/covid-19-information/.

About Catholic Eldercare

Not-for-profit Catholic Eldercare is a Northeast Minneapolis community resource with over a quarter-century tradition of meeting the diverse needs of elders of all faiths in a caring atmosphere of support, respect, and spiritual enrichment. The organization’s continuing mission is to provide the care, housing and services needed by older adults to continue living fully with dignity in an intentionally created caring community. Whether the need is for transitional care, independent living, assisted living, adult day programs, skilled nursing care, memory care or other services, Catholic Eldercare’s housing options and continuum of care offer comfort and security to fit most needs.