PPE Push Pack roll out in San Juan County

San Juan County saw the delivery of PPE Push Packs for businesses on Friday May 15th. In case you don’t know,  PPE stands for Personal Protection Equipment. In this case the PPE was in the form of hand sanitizer, disposable bacterial filtration non-medical masks and possibly gloves or other items depending on the type of business.  

Governor Gary Herbert announced the launch ten days earlier. Through a public/private partnership, the program's aim was to provide a free, one week supply of personal protective equipment to the sole proprietors and businesses in Utah with less than 50 employees. The statewide program took less than ten days to become a reality. 

The San Juan County fairgrounds was the pick up site for businesses who had signed up for the program online. Emergency management team members cued up the participants and loaded the Push Paks into the vehicles of those responding. 

In all, 47 businesses in San Juan County took part in the program. 45 of those businesses negotiated the cue line.  San Juan County Emergency Manager Tammy Gallegos, her Deputy Emergency Manager Natalie Freestone along with EMS Director Linda Simmons and San Juan County Fire Chief David Gallegos used the event to practice their Point of Distribution Training as well. The event in Monticello lasted 2 hours. 

The Governor is hoping this distribution is a nudge in the right direction. The state is encouraging in the long term, that businesses in need of PPE purchase these supplies from Utah vendors. The state maintains a list of those vendors here.

Health care workers and businesses remain in need of PPE to ensure their protection as they continue to operate during the pandemic. Here’s how you can help make that a reality. Individuals and businesses can donate PPE if they have the items in their possession. Click here for more information on how to donate those items.