story of the resident optimist

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 Disclosure: Erin Alpert, MD is now a member of the Junior Board for the official Children of Bellevue Charity. This is a volunteer position. 

       As a second year Pediatrics resident, I care for children from birth through their mid to late twenties in New York City’s public and private hospital systems. When the first known cases of COVID-19 (“COVID”) arrived in New York in early March, like everyone, I closely followed developments in the news, then soon after began seeing patients with COVID symptoms in practice. Early in this crisis, medical providers began preparing for the anticipated increase in hospitalizations by revising PPE best practices and working to increase PPE supply. However, it quickly became apparent that the demand for such gear was quickly leading to shortages in supply. 

       As the number of COVID-related hospitalizations in New York reached into the hundreds in mid-March, I began hearing from friends from every part of life who were seeking to support the healthcare community. Many came forth with concrete ways to assist with the reported PPE shortages, including access to supplies of masks and relationships with factories and importers. While my initial thought was ‘who am I to get involved with the challenge,’ the wave of offers led me to feel that being the best doctor and advocate for my patients meant doing my part to ensure that healthcare professionals have the necessary protection. I began to connect those with access to PPE to institutions with needs. While appreciated by the institutions, these leads were too numerous, and, at times, too complex and/or risky for a single institution to pursue. With the enthusiasm and support of my brother, we decided to act. We pursued a reliable lead in order to establish a supply chain using a U.S. importer and Chinese manufacturer and started a GoFundMecampaign in order to maximize our efforts. We used our own money to place an initial order for masks with the objective of vetting the supply chain in order to hand off the relationship to a large institution or the government. Our initiative quickly gained traction as the community enabled us to exceed our initial fundraising goal of $20,000 and multiple news outlets (including the NYPost, NYDailyNews and Cheddar) shared our story. Within two weeks of launching our effort, generous individuals had contributed more than $100,000. We have since purchased 200,000 surgical masks and 2,800 KN95 for those in need as a result of this effort. In the weeks that followed, I identified a number of organizations that are efficiently and effectively ameliorating the various challenges arising from this crisis. Since beginning this journey, my role has evolved into connecting people and information through my Instagram (@TheResidentOptimist) and website, http://www.TheResidentOptimist.com. 

         This can often seem like a hopeless time. However, I have witnessed a desire to do good from strangers that has completely changed my view of the world. As the challenges that result from this pandemic continue to evolve, @TheResidentOptimist will continue to strive to connect those who are able to help with those in need. We can all make a difference as our small drips in the lake turn into large ripples.