Closing the Supply Gap: How a Student Clinic Organization Adapted Their Role During COVID-19 Clinical Suspension to Support Frontline Providers

Abstract

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and national personal protective equipment (PPE), the Tulane University School of Medicine (TUSOM) Student Clinic Council (SCC) pivoted their focus from community student-run clinics to organizing a PPE drive to address the urgent needs of local hospitals’ supply shortages. Entitled the TUSOM COVID Response Group, the primary goal was to collect and distribute donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline healthcare providers in New Orleans, Louisiana to temporarily bridge the supply chain gap. In total, from March 20th, 2020 to May 6th, 2020, the group distributed 29,217 N95s, 181,467 surgical masks, 22,747 face shields, 1,100 goggles, 3,382 boxes of gloves, 13,446 gowns and coveralls, 4,525 sleeve, shoe, and head covers, 175 pairs of scrubs, 762 bottles of hand sanitizer, 699 bottles of cleaning supplies, and 38 tablets which were distributed to 17 local hospitals and healthcare faculties. During this time, the five student leaders oversaw 82 student volunteers and coordinated donations from 169 individual and business donors. All facets of medical education and medical student organizations have been forced to adapt to the new era of COVID-19. This PPE drive demonstrates the adaptability of medical student organizations and the ability to enact change in their communities beyond their clinic sites.