BCMS Service to Our Members and Community in Need

By Melody Newsom, BCMS Chief Operating Officer

When the novel coronavirus pandemic was declared in March of 2020, no one had an idea of just how this would affect our community or physician members of the Bexar County Medical Society! Early on, the lack of a multitude of items needed to respond to the pandemic in our community was great. From the lack of specimen collection kits and supplies (swabs, viral transport medium (VTM), etc.) to personal protective equipment (PPE), the needs of the medical community became rapidly apparent.

When responses to the emergency needs of our community were identified, BCMS reached out to our physician members to help. The physicians stepped up and donated countless test collection kits and supplies so our city could maintain testing capacity of our first responders and medical staffs as the virus was entering our community.

The world-wide demand for PPE resulted in major shortages of PPE. Early on, governmental agencies and national stockpile supplies of PPE were mostly earmarked for in-patient settings such as hospitals and nursing facilities. As a result, primary care and out-patient clinics were left with few to no avenues to obtain PPE. The lack of PPE put the physicians, their staff and patients at risk of, and the fear of, contracting COVID-19.

In mid-March, a passionate and concerned medical student reached out to BCMS alarmed about the lack of appropriate PPE for the medial professionals where she was working. She and a group of dedicated medical student volunteers, later forming the Strategic Alliance for Emergency Response (SAFER Texas), started soliciting donations of PPE and other supplies. Donations were solicited from multiple sources in the community that had closed their businesses due to the community lockdown and to their being categorized as “non-essential”. The construction industry, distilleries, nail salons, the Vietnamese community and physician practices that were more “elective-procedurebased” were solicited to donate PPE. These donations got the PPE project going and allowed BCMS and SAFER Texas to provide the much-needed PPE to the medical professionals deemed “essential” so they could continue to serve their patients.

The response was amazing! Construction companies donated non-medical grade N95s, shoe coverings and overalls. Distilleries, especially Garrison Brothers, donated hundreds of gallons of isopropyl alcohol for use as hand sanitizer. Nail salons donated gloves and got the Vietnamese community organized to make face shields and cloth masks. You get the picture! Many other individuals, companies and non-profits came together to help the physicians and our medical community.

When the supply chains began to open, practices that were not already established PPE customers of reputable PPE suppliers could not obtain the needed PPE. Even when other potential suppliers were identified and contacted, supplies were still very limited and prices were inflated.

Since that time, the BCMS/SAFER Texas PPE Project has grown into a full-fledged PPE distribution system to serve the medical community. BCMS’ longstanding relationship with the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC) has allowed the Society to be the conduit of PPE provided from the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to the physicians, not only in Bexar County, but in south Texas. Because of this collaboration, we have been able to help many hundreds of physicians to be able to continue to see patients while keeping their staff, patients and themselves safe.

A few of the numerous comments we have received are:

“We are really desperate for gloves (nonsterile). Our normal vendors are telling us they are backordered. And those you can purchase have gone up more than 600%. It is so frustrating! I thank you all again for always coming through for us small practices! You all have been a life saver.”

“Thank you for providing us the opportunity to receive PPE as we struggle to take care of patients during this pandemic while protecting ourselves. It is much appreciated.”

“Thank you for all of your donations; they have made a difference in our practice.”

“We are so appreciative of the assistance; we are seeing many more sick/exposed children every day.”

“We have opened up another department of our practice and are having to use more PPE for employees and patients who do not have the appropriate masks. Thank you for your continued help.”

“This PPE has been a life-saver! Thank you!”

“Thank you for supporting our medical community!”

“Thank you for coordinating these donations. The masks are less necessary (although desired as we are reusing standard surgical masks and have no N95/KN95 available). The biggest need is gloves which are in short supply and are needed for proper patient care. Trying to find items through our usual distributors is harder with each order. Thank you again.”

Since March, over 275,000 pieces of PPE have been distributed through our PPE project. The impact to the physicians and their practices has made a huge difference in keeping the medical community and our community safe.

If you are still in need of PPE, please visit the BCMS COVID-19 Resources page and click on the Request PPE button on the lefthand side, or click the link in The Physicians Link, BCMS’ electronic newsletter.

BCMS is committed to serving our physicians, not only through the PPE Project but with all the other services available to our members! If you have a need, please let us know. We are here for you! Thank you for being a BCMS member and making a difference in your patients’ lives and our community.

Melody Newsom is the Chief Operating Officer for BCMS and the staff liaison to the BCMS Emergency Preparedness Committee. She has been with BCMS since October 1999.