we tell you how to help hospitals in the Pays de la Loire region, and elsewhere

It becomes a ritual of confinement. Every evening at 8 p.m., a round of applause rises from windows and balconies all over France and Pays de la Loire to pay tribute to hospital staff. But what more can we do, concretely, to help caregivers?

The first thing to help caregivers, we remind you, is to stay at home! But even from a distance, for those who wish, it is sometimes possible to act, in particular thanks to donations.

Masks

According to the Regional Health Agency, restocking is underway in the region. In total, 57,000 FFP2 masks and 900,000 surgical masks are gradually being sent to hospitals before being distributed to all healthcare structures and to independent doctors in Pays de la Loire.

The evolution of the situation is therefore “reassuring” from the point of view of the ARS. But volunteers are always welcome. Example recently with this company from Sarthe which donated 300,000 expired but still usable masks to the Regional Health Agency for hospitals in the region.“We are very moved by all the donation offers that are coming in, for the moment, the structures are not yet in place. We do not know if we will manage these donations by establishment or at the local level. and already companies are calling us to make their stock of masks available. Yesterday, a Vendée entrepreneur put 5,000 masks in the trunk of his car for hospitals in the region, it’s a small gesture that warms the heart ” says Jean-Jacques Coiplet, director of ARS Pays de la Loire.

At present, it is therefore the ARS which manages material donations in masks or hydro-alcoholic gel, with a single email address if you are concerned:
[email protected]

But the most important thing, we remind you, is above all to use the masks sparingly. They are reserved for patients and nursing staff. Because on the ground, it is a precious commodity.
“We are supposed to change our masks every 3 hours and each time we leave a coronavirus room, so stocks are decreasing very quickly. FFP2 masks are reserved for intubation and Covid 19 nasal swab care by nurses “ explained to us Thursday, March 19, an internal doctor at the Nantes University Hospital.

In the east of France, faced with the influx of patients, the situation is more worrying, the private hospitals of Metz have also launched a call for donations on Facebook.We are not there yet. And unfortunately, for the moment, hospitals are facing less an influx of donations… than thefts. In Nantes, over-blouses and masks were once again stolen on Wednesday March 18 from the CHU and from private clinics. Some medical professionals have had their cars broken into.

Donate…blood

Another important reminder: Blood donation also continues, and there is a need for it! The CHU of Angers insists on Twitter: it is always possible to move to donate blood or platelets. A message relayed by the French Blood Establishment which wishes to reassure: all health precautions are guaranteed for donors. Donate, it’s risk-free.

Food aid?

Some restaurants also wanted to participate in the collective effort. After the announcement of the national closure of all its stores, Domino’s pizza supplied Wednesday evening and Thursday morning to front-line staff facing the virus, and in particular hospitals.

“It cheers them up! We have messages of sympathy, people smile, we have tears too, it gives chills. We hear: “thank you very much, we need you”, so we will continue on the base volunteering for a few more days to make pizzas with what we have left and for the staff who take care of those in need. There are times for doing business, others for solidarity”, explained to us Fabrice Dorie, manager of the Domino’s Pizza stores in Nantes.

Help research

More generally, in a context of crisis in public hospitals, which suffer from a chronic lack of resources, you can help the operation of regional hospitals in Nantes or Angers via secure platforms by contributing to their endowment fund.

If you wish to support research on the coronavirus, it is with the Pasteur Institute in Paris, which centralizes French studies on the virus.

or the World Health Organization, which has launched a specific donation platform.

We can count on our medical staff, but as the caregivers of Nantes University Hospital reminded us a few days ago on social media: they are also counting on you!