Companies donate medical supplies to the National Emergency Commission

Published Friday, May 15, 2020

Companies donate medical supplies
to the National Emergency
Commission

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

To help fight the covid-19 pandemic in Costa Rica, 7 companies from La Lima Free Trade Zone in Cartago Province, joined forces to donate 6,000 surgical masks and 3,000 pairs of gloves on Thursday.

The single-use surgical masks offer three layers of protection, anti-fluid non-woven materials, a high-density filter, and a direct skin contact layer. The donated disposable latex gloves are used in the medical field to protect both patients and non-patients from cross-contamination. These top-priority protection supplies were delivered to the National Emergency Commission and will be distributed among personnel working to treat the virus.

The business park developers Garnier & Garnier participated in the initiative together with Edwards Lifesciences, Align Technology, Itek Soluciones, Coloplast, Matthews Brands Solutions, Heraeus Medical, and Zollner Electronics.

“We know that this donation will have a real and direct impact on our health services and on the community in which we operate. Between us, we established a course of action to show solidarity in the fight against covid-19,” said Fernando Carazo, General Manager of the La Lima Free Trade Zone.

Also, the companies made an economic contribution for the purchase of food and high-priority hygiene items, destined as an aid to the most vulnerable populations in Cartago, in the aftermath of covid-19.

The donation includes 150 care packages for pre-selected families, thanks to coordination by the Cartago Special Economic Zone, ZEEC, an economic and social development strategy to strengthen the link between business, government, and academic sectors in the province.

"We took on the task of tracking down families that had lost their jobs as a result of covid-19, in a joint effort between the Municipality of Cartago, the Diocese, the Technological Institute of Costa Rica, and La Lima Free Trade Zone," said Silvia Hidalgo, the donations coordinator.

One of the selection criteria was a consideration into the industry in which these families worked. For example, priority went to people who work in tourism, high school students whose parents had lost their jobs, and the student population of University of Technology in Cartago, TEC.

La Lima Free Trade Zone currently has 2,200 employees spread out among 7 companies involved in the services and technology industry.

This is the second donation made by the private companies to the Commission this week.

On Tuesday the California-based Intel, with the support of the Intel Foundation, donated $70,000.

The donation represents the company’s strong commitment to supporting Costa Rica in the fight against the novel coronavirus, said the international firm in its statement.

“The Intel Foundation is committed to improving lives around the world and to supporting communities during world crises and natural disasters. With this donation, we hope to contribute to the CNE’s efforts to help people who have been affected in one way or another by this pandemic,” said Timothy Scott Hall, Manager of Government Affairs and Public Relations at Intel Costa Rica.

This donation was supported by the Intel Corporation, which also plans to distribute similar aid in other countries where it maintains a significant presence.

"This union between the public and private sectors will be key to keep Costa Rica moving forward," said Alexander Solís -Delgado, President of the Commission to thank Intel Costa Rica for the donation. "Which, as an act of solidarity, contributes resources to the aid fund designated to help families severely impacted by the emergency."

The donation to the Commission will be distributed via the Business Development Alliance, AED.

"At AED, we are committed to joining and being an ally to the covid-19 national response team. We have spearheaded a training, communication, and business information space on the subject, and, in addition, we promote donation campaigns to better our national response to the pandemic," said Olga Sauma, Executive Director of AED. "We know that the National Emergency Commission is leading important efforts to strengthen the country's resilience to this situation, which is why we applaud Intel’s donation, which will boost the work of the Commission. Together, we can face this pandemic."

Intel Costa Rica also donated 16,000 surgical masks and 1,500 N95 masks to the Social Security, for the protection of health personnel at various medical centers throughout the country.

In April, Intel donated 6,000 protective face masks for employees of the Social Security Institute.

This donation is part of Intel Corporation’s initiative to provide one million personal protection items to health workers in different parts of the world.

In January the firm also donated $1 million to the International Red Cross to support global aid efforts for this pandemic.

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What other top company should donate to health workers due to the covid-19 crisis in the country? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com