Fundamental Necessities
However, there are some other fundamental necessities in life that have been put to the test more than others: the health and safety of doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and first responders, our children’s education, our mental health, our businesses and livelihood, income and positive cash flow, and the ability to be able to give and receive hugs and affection to people in need, (beyond our four walls and the people we live with).
Through it all, we are continuing to wake up each day, putting one foot in front of the other and getting through our “new normal” and daily routines. It is the strength, perseverance, and character of the human spirit that helps us survive even under the most challenging times in our lives. Perhaps the underlying theme of this pandemic ... “we are ALL in this together” has been a comfort in some way.
An Unexpected Pivot
If anyone said to me seven or eight weeks ago that I would be pivoting my business in an effort to help my factories stay open so they could afford to pay their employees, and then focus all my time researching, sourcing, and gaining access to PPE supplies to help healthcare professionals and other companies secure the necessary products they needed to survive this pandemic, I would have thought they were living in another world.
However, this is all true. The past several weeks have been both gratifying to be able to help and very intense, and I feel as if I went through a graduate course on steroids…
called the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Personal Protection Equipment.
The most important part has been learning quickly and finding the best solutions possible about the following...
Which products are better than another, which factories to use,
(hundreds of factories have been sending emails daily with access to PPE products), what certifications are needed, which factories are certified, what is FDA approved, which are the best face masks for healthcare workers and first responders and which ones are necessary for the general public, what is the difference between the N95 and the KN95, why are the prices changing every few days, (some daily), why are they getting so expensive,
all the changes in regulations between China and the USA, why orders that are shipping air are taking three to four weeks to get into the recipient’s hands, why there are fewer aircraft flying daily between the USA and China...and so on...
I will admit, I am very thankful that I have been able to contribute in some small way to the health care crisis at hand.
New Products and Services Developed Within Weeks
What I find truly amazing is all of the new products and services that have developed so quickly as a result of COVID
19
(void of all the politics behind the testing and finding a vaccine and cure). I am referring to the various individuals and businesses who have either started manufacturing over a million fabric face masks per week, or
individuals who started making face covers in their homes for hospital staff
, or creating other products related to personal protection, companies offering
various UV sanitizing devices
that can sanitize your phone, keys, eye or sunglasses, even face masks, to new
face mask “accessories”
that will alleviate some tension from the elastic that may feel too tight or too loose around the ears after long periods of use, to a
new type of tool
that will help you keep your
hands free of germs
when turning a doorknob or pushing a button in an elevator, as well as some interesting new products for stress reduction. These are just a few that have popped up in the last few weeks and I am sure there are many more to come.
Take a look
!.. they may inspire you to create your own.
What's Next?
My goal during this next phase of “
CoronaVival
”...(that is survival during the CoronaVirus) is to continue to help companies and services that are in need of PPE supplies, and to continue to bring awareness to new ideas and products that will help my clients feel safe and be prepared to open their doors
when the pendulum swings back
to the NEW NORMAL of “
Business as Usual
.”
Here's to your Health and Safety!