DETROIT – Health care professionals and public safety units throughout Michigan and across the United States have limited access to personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These front-line workers have often been forced to wear bandanas and scarves for face masks, trash bags for gowns, and reuse other medical equipment, heightening the risk of spreading the infection.

Wayne State University’s Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) put out a call to researchers across campus for unused PPE materials from laboratory supplies to assist in addressing the urgent need. Items requested include disposable gowns and gloves, N-95 respirators, surgical masks, goggles and face shields.

“There has been a critical ongoing global shortage of PPE for those at the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic, including those involved with health care delivery, public health and public safety. Detroit is no exception,” said Stephen Lanier, Ph.D., vice president for research at Wayne State University. “As all scramble to meet this challenge, the contributions from the research faculty, science stores and the research support community at Wayne State with PPE from their own research laboratories will help meet this need as we go forward and I am personally very touched by the outpouring of support from all involved.”

With the help of the Wayne State University Police Department, donations were collected from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Science Store, the Department of Chemistry, the School of Medicine, the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the Integrative Biosciences Center. In addition, a collaborative effort involving the Department of Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the University Physicians Group, the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences aided in making over 45 gallons of hand sanitizer for public safety officers in the City of Detroit.

“This pandemic is unlike anything many of us have faced in our lifetime,” said Lanier. “It is absolutely critical for all of us to work together and step up for this challenge as the situation evolves. I am greatly appreciative of the contributions from the research community at Wayne State.”

OVPR continues to accept donations of PPE items from the campus community. Anyone with unopened packages of PPE should email Julie.oconnor@wayne.edu.