'Challenging, but rewardingâ: Louisville nonprofit looks back on pandemic, medical supply shortage
Share
Updated: 7:09 PM EDT Jul 29, 2021
Share
Updated: 7:09 PM EDT Jul 29, 2021
The year 2020 brought on the first domestic health crisis for the medical organization SOS as the team quickly responded to the nationwide medical supply shortage.President and CEO Denise Sears remember diving into several different roles as COVID-19 restricted the nonprofit from having a packed house of volunteers.âWhen COVID hit, we had to cease all volunteering," Sears said. âIt was the equivalent of losing 30% of our workforce.âStill, the small staff sorted, packed, and donated more than $1 million worth of PPE, ventilators, and other necessities for hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and even the Louisville Metro Health Department. The nonprofitâs international efforts continued, as they always have for the past 30 years since the organizationâs start, but in the past year, the health and prosperity of people in their own backyard were prioritized.âWe deal with crises every day, that is what SOS does, but when we had loved ones that were being helped by our work, and we saw our teammates working hard to help our loved ones, I think it pulled us together even more,â Sears said.To sum up their pandemic experience, the SOS team described it as challenging, exhausting, but rewarding. While serving others, they also helped each other in crucial times.When operations manager Demetrius Wingate's mom was short on gloves and masks at her nursing home, his coworkers stepped in.âWe were able to come together and grab some supplies for her and give that to her nursing facility and protect their nurses from getting COVID,â Wingate said.It's an experience they'll never forget and hope to not relive, but the team commits to being impactful, together.âThe people that we met through the crisis, there were just so many heroes, but I really have to call out the heroes right here on my team,â Sears said. âWe're always here, ready to serve our community whatever that may mean in 30, 60, or 90 days.âWith medical facilities no longer experiencing a disruption in the supply system, SOS is now focused on getting masks, hand sanitizer and other needs to local schools to help them safely prepare to welcome students back this fall.