NYC officials ask for rain ponchos as PPE supplies run low

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that there will soon be “barely enough” gowns and face shields to keep health care workers protected from coronavirus. To help keep the stock from running low, Deputy Press Secretary Jane Meyer told CBS News that city officials “have been asking for ponchos generally” from the private sector. 

As of April 13, she said, about 142,000 donated ponchos had been delivered. About 140,000 more are in the process of being picked up or delivered in the coming days, she added.  

So far, 21 well-known companies — including Macy’s, Home Depot and the New York Giants — have donated or offered ponchos, Meyer said. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Columbia University, NYU and many other New York-based establishments have also supplied ponchos to the effort. 

Health care workers could be wearing pinstripes. The Yankees donated ponchos directly to a hospital to use as PPE, the city’s Deputy Press Secretary Jane Meyer told CBS News. Jim McIsaac / Getty Images

“We are facing unprecedented supply chain issues on a global level and doing everything we can to ensure the protection of our workers on the frontlines,” Meyer told CBS News. “That includes looking for alternatives in a time of crisis. We won’t let up until we have what we need to keep our health care workers safe.” 

The Yankees donated ponchos directly to a hospital, Meyer said, and city officials are in conversation with Disney and the Mets for more of the coverings. CBS News has reached out to these companies for more information.

One physician from the Montefiore health system tweeted about the Yankees poncho that she received as PPE. “I’m a physician at a hospital in NYC and THIS IS THE ‘PPE’ I WAS JUST HANDED for my shift. Our federal government has completely failed its health care workers. #GetUsPPE,” Rachel Meislin wrote. 

New York City isn’t the first place to get creative when medical supplies run low. Private companies across the country have repurposed manufacturing to help struggling hospitals get more supplies.

Nike is repurposing parts of its sneakers to create PPE-like full-face shields and air-purifying respirator lenses to help health professionals at Oregon Health & Science University, the company said in a press release last week. New Balance is also working to develop a general-use face mask in consultation with local experts, and several other fashion and sportswear brands are sewing masks for those in need.