Following the tradition of Oak Park High School, this graduated eagle is flying high. OPHS alum and New York University student Danielle Gould set out on a mission to make sure hospitals had personal protection equipment, otherwise known as PPE when working with patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

“OPHS definitely helped shape me into the person I am today. I would specifically cite the skills I learned in ASB. They were incredibly applicable to organizing the drive,” Gould said.

Gould came up with the idea to provide PPE to Bellevue Hospital in New York City after she and her father, Alan Gould, were watching CNN and saw Celine Gounder, MD, ScM, FIDSA, an infectious diseases specialist and epidemiologist at Bellevue Hospital Center, Clinical Assistant Professor at the New York University School of Medicine and CNN Medical Analyst, on the show. She was motivated after seeing how dire the situation was in a place that she now calls home, and moved to contact Gounder.

“As I was becoming increasingly anxious for the safety of my colleagues at the hospital, I was contacted by Danielle’s dad, who saw me on CNN and emailed me about sending 20 new N95 masks he had in his garage,” Gounder said in a press release from NYU. “I jumped at the chance and received them the next day. Then his daughter Danielle said she wanted to help, too.

Danielle Gould worked to contact different industries such as painters or automotive mechanics who maybe had not already been contacted before about possible PPE lying around. In a matter of days, over 100 organizations and companies had responded and were even sending requests out to others.

“I can confidently say a couple thousand masks [have been given to hospitals], but it’s hard to know the exact number,” Gould said.

Their operation has shifted its focus from masks to gowns and to raising money for the hospitals. This is an alternative for companies that do not have PPE lying around but want to help out the cause. Danielle Gould explained in a press release to NYU that the operation is not limited to big companies but also community members rallying behind their nurses and doctors on the frontlines of the battle in their own hospitals.

“If you want to get involved in your own community, call your local car dealerships, auto repair and brake shops, tattoo parlors, day spas and nail salons and remind them their extra PPE can save a life. Ask them to donate to their local hospitals,” Gould said.

Gould has already made a difference for Bellevue Hospital as it battles the virus in ground zero of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Gounder. However, the fight is not over as companies change their operations to make these masks and gowns, and nurses and doctors explain on the news the shortage of PPE: an important part of fighting COVID-19.

When Alan Gould was asked about how he felt when watching his daughter start the operation and continue to help, he had little but impactful things to say.

“Always rewarding, always happy to help,” Alan Gould said.

If you are reading this and want to help, you can donate any amount to the address below or consider helping your local hospital.

Payable to: H+H/Bellevue
Subject line: Dr. Gounder/PPE

and mail to:

NYC Health + Hospitals Bellevue
Incident Command Center
464 First Avenue
New York, NY 10016