ZIMMER Biomet Shannon and Galway delivered much needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Rehabilitation Unit at St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis recently.
The Rehabilitation Unit in St Joseph’s provides a multi-disciplinary in-patient service to older people who have experienced deterioration in function following recent illness or surgery.
PPE is necessary to help protect residents and staff from COVID-19 and Zimmer Biomet are delighted make this donation in light of national PPE shortages.
It is understood about 5,000 items of PPE were donated including shoe covers, masks, googles, visors, protective gowns and other equipment.
A Mid-West HSE spokesman said the health authority are are delighted to receive donations of PPE, which is used in accordance with Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) standards, protecting both the residents and the staff.
Asked how long this PEE will last for staff and residents in St Joseph’s, the HSE outlined PPE is used according to National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) guidelines, some of the PPE provided will be used on an on-going basis and some in the event of an outbreak.
“It is hard to determine how long this will last as the different scenarios have different PPE requirements,” he stated.
Zimmer External Communications vice-president Monica Kendrick said Zimmer’s mission is to alleviate pain and improve the quality of life for people around the world.
“Zimmer’s thanks go out to the healthcare professionals who are treating patients affected by COVID-19 and we are pleased to be able to provide needed support during this difficult time,” she stated.
Dan Danaher
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.