The disability community is seeing an issue come up across the country: the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for people living in nursing homes, institutions, and group homes.

In NYC, group homes for people with disabilities were told that they were not a priority to receive NYC’s Office of Emergency Management’s supply of PPE. When they attempted to purchase it themselves from a manufacturer, they were told they lacked the FDA license to do so. Now they are crowdfunding to get donated masks, sterile gloves, gowns, and goggles.

A second issue is that when residents in the group home become sick, the lack of PPE can jeopardize the safety of direct service providers (DSPs) and residents once that person is discharged from the hospital. If DSPs feel unsafe serving the people in the group homes, they will not go to work. And that will leave seniors and people with disabilities without the care that they need.

If you know of nursing facilities or group homes that need personal protective equipment, please have them complete Section I & II of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Resource Request Form. The resource request process direction provided by DHS and PEMA is for providers to contact their county emergency management agency (EMA) and submit a resource request. If the county cannot fill the resource request it will be forwarded to PEMA by the county EMA. Attached is the list of county EMC contacts provided by PEMA and directions to submit a resource request. In the directions is a link to a fillable resource request form to submit. Providers should contact their county EMA for assistance in submitting the resource request.

For Philadelphia providers:
Please send your completed form to this email. Thanks to Koert Wehberg, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities, for his advocacy and assistance with getting this form. For the Philadelphia Public Health hotline, call 800-722-7112.