Paid for by Colorado’s Health Care Future, a project of Partnership for America’s Health Care Future Action.
Working Together
Business & Community Partnerships
Colorado Springs start-up navigates COVID-19 pandemic
KOAA | June 8
A start-up business is working its way through the pandemic to see the light at the other side and help create opportunities for minority women and military spouses.
Sharai Johnson, CEO of the start-up WeAssist, created work-from-home opportunities for businesses and assistants.
Colorado partners with AmeriCorps to expand COVID-19 contact tracing with 800 new volunteers
Denver Post | June 3
More than 800 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members will help state health officials with contact tracing, a process considered essential to containing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Contact tracing is an important part of containing the spread of this virus and ensuring that Coloradans can keep themselves and those around them, as safe as possible,” Polis said in a statement.
‘Game-Changer’ App Connects Colorado Families, Residents, Caregivers At Senior Care Facilities
KUNC | June 2
Serenity Engage is a HIPAA-compliant mobile messaging platform that allows senior care communities to communicate with family members. The app was created by Serenity, Inc., a Denver-based startup that is working with facilities in Colorado, New Jersey and Georgia.
Founder and CEO Katherine Wells created the company after her own experience with her parents who were in long-term care communities.
Volunteer pilots deliver critical PPE supplies in Colorado
The Gazette | May 27
Volunteer pilots are flying masks, hand sanitizer and other critical supplies to rural hospitals across the state facing shortages driven by the coronavirus.
New Colorado marketplace for masks, other protective equipment intended to help businesses restart
Denver Post | May 20
A volunteer-run initiative will offer businesses a place to buy personal protective equipment, like masks, for as reasonable a price as they’re likely to get during a pandemic.
Energize Colorado, a nonprofit organization started by private-sector volunteers on Gov. Jared Polis’ COVID-19 task forces, opened its online marketplace for protective equipment about two weeks ago. So far, they’ve received more than 400 orders.
Other volunteers from the business community are available as mentors for issues like dealing with mental health in the workplace and staying afloat during an economic downturn, said Brad Feld, chairman of Energize Colorado. They also have templates for different types of businesses to help work through how they can implement social distancing.
Colorado National Guard Flyover for Health Care Workers
KKCO | May 15
The National Guard honored health care workers on the frontlines of covid-19 in flight across Colorado—and they did it in a big way.
The 140th Wing flew through Durango, Denver, and through the Western Slope from about 11 AM to 1 PM hitting many small towns and medical centers in-between.
“To have the military you know, recognize what the health care workers are doing for the community, it’s a wonderful recognition and we’re very appreciative of it,” said Gaye Slatter, O.R. and C.S. Manager, Community Hospital.
Colorado Artist Turns Workshop Into Outlet To Help Health Care Workers
KCNC-TV CBS4 Denver | May 13
Aegerter found a new artistic outlet by making face shields with the fleet of 3D printers that would otherwise sit idle.
She’s made about 200 face shields and plans to make at least 200 more. The town of Snowmass Village gave her a $1,000 grant to buy more material.
The shields will be distributed to hospitals across Colorado.
Snacks for Superheroes takes flight
KOAA News | May 5
For the past five weeks, her efforts have surrounded the mouth-watering aisles at Costco on Nevada Ave. in Colorado Springs, as part of the “Snacks for Superheroes” campaign.
Local organization makes “COVID Readiness Kits” for those in need
KKTV | May 3
Finding items like toilet paper, cleaners, and certain foods can be hard in times like these.
That’s why a local organization is giving back and doing the legwork for the community.
The United Court of the Pikes Peak Empire has a mission during the pandemic: to help out members of the community by making “COVID Readiness Kits.”
Summit County breweries donate sales to charities
Summit Daily | May 1
Recognizing the need to support one another during the coronavirus pandemic, Broken Compass Brewing, Outer Range Brewing Co. and Breckenridge Brewery have all recently started efforts to raise funds for charity.
Colorado nonprofit Can’dAid and partners send truckloads of water to Navajo and Hopi reservations
Denver Post | May 1
Many of the 183,000 people living on Navajo and Hopi land across Arizona, Utah and New Mexico live at least an hour away from clean drinking water. They travel across the desert to grocery stores off the reservations where prices are lower for essential such as milk, eggs and toilet paper.
Hotel Helps Feed Coronavirus Health Care ‘Superheroes’ In Colorado
CBS4 Denver | April 29
DoubleTree Hilton is directly helping those on the front lines during the COVID19 pandemic by making sure they have lunches during busy work shifts.
The company partnered with their “superheroes” at Kaiser Permanente, distributing 115 meals in the span of two days.
We’re Open Colorado: Trio of businesses give back to first responders
NBC 5 | April 28
In the midst of
these changes, many local businesses are finding ways to overcome and adapt to
keep their doors open, while at the same time, help those around them.
Similarly, businesses hit hard are reporting a tremendous outpouring of support
from the community.
Colorado nonprofits work together to pool resources and expand reach
Denver Post | April 27
It was tough
enough when the elderly woman in Colorado tested positive for COVID-19, the
disease that comes from the novel coronavirus; it got downright difficult when
her family wouldn’t let her into the house, forcing her to live in her car.
Within hours of learning of the woman’s plight, Charlotte Olsen, the emergency
manager for Colorado’s Department of Human Services, mobilized resources from a
matrix of organizations that bind together in times of disaster.
$425K raised so far during 9Cares Virtual Food Drive
ABC 9 News | April 27
Cares Colorado
Shares, three local Bonneville radio stations and King Soopers are teaming up
to fight hunger.
The King Soopers Virtual Food Drive benefits Food Bank of the Rockies, which
has seen demand for food assistance double during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As restaurants stay closed, chefs still cooking — for health care workers
NBC News | April 26
The meals will be packed up and delivered a mile down the road to Boulder Community Health, where they will move from Mendenhall’s car to the loading dock and into the hands of health care workers on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Earthvisionz Creates Free Coronavirus Health Alert
Westword | April 24
Carla Johnson, the CEO and founder of Boulder-based geospatial mapping company Earthvisionz, has been creating 3-D virtual Earths since long before Google did. Now, she’s using her deep experience and expertise to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earthvisionz is offering a free, daily Global COVID-19 Health Alert that breaks down key virus-related statistics, including total cases, active cases, recovered cases and deaths, ona global and state level. And anyone can receive the alert by subscribing to a private Google Group mailing list.
$320K relief fund for Colorado women
Denver Business Journal | April 23
More than half of low-wage workers in Colorado are women, according to the Bell Policy Center, and two local organizations are teaming up to provide relief to the state’s female workforce. The Colorado Health Foundation partnered with The Women’s Foundation of Colorado to launch the $320,000 Colorado Women and Families of CO Relief Fund, which is issuing rapid-response grants to nonprofits across Colorado that focus on victims of domestic violence, refugees, older women, women experiencing homelessness, women with disabilities and more.
Loveland’s Betta Gumbo and Citipointe Church to serve up free meals to all
Loveland Reporter Herald | April 22
Loveland’s
Betta Gumbo and Citipointe Church Northern Colorado are cooking up a campaign
to warm hearts and stomachs with free meals for all comers starting next week.
Chef Clay Caldwell said he and his pastor, Aaron Lucas, launched the meal
program as a way of lending a hand to Lovelanders affected by the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a lot of hard work, and we don’t know what the reward is going to be yet,
but it’s worthwhile,” Caldwell said. “We’re just humbled to be part of the
response and serving our community.”
New website aims to be a one-stop shop for Coloradans to find jobs and services
Denver Channel | April 20
The technology company Bitwise Industries and the Kapor Center launched a new website for Coloradans to find jobs and connect to other vital services. Onward Colorado is described as a one-stop shop for those who have lost their jobs due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The site provides information and links to resources including job postings, food assistance, childcare, and housing.
The unprecedented airlift delivering coronavirus supplies to rural Colorado hospitals
Colorado Sun | April 20
There have been at least 26 flights to deliver protective equipment and other supplies to rural hospitals across the state, according to Angel Flight West, the organization whose pilots are conducting the flights. The supplies are all donated. The pilots fly for free.
Company Helping Castle Rock Police Steer Clear Of Coronavirus
CBS4 Denver | April 20, 2020
A company in Castle Rock is helping police officers steer clear of the coronavirus. The owners of Creative Colors International of Douglas County are disinfecting the place where officers often spend the most time: their patrol cars.
9NEWS, Bonneville radio stations and King Soopers team up for virtual food drive
KUSA 9News | April 20, 2020
9Cares Colorado Shares, three local Bonneville radio stations and King Soopers are teaming up to fight hunger.
“It is critically important to help Food Bank of the Rockies support the growing need created by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. We couldn’t be happier teaming up with our partners at 9NEWS and King Soopers to help fill this growing need,” said Bonneville Denver SRVP/Market Manager Bob Call.
These stories about Colorado’s ‘helpers’ during the COVID-19 pandemic will make you smile
ABC 9 Denver | April 17
We get it:
there’s little good to be found in the news about the COVID-19 pandemic in
Colorado. These are times that take a toll on your mental health, but as Mr.
Rogers famously said: “look for the helpers” during tragedy.
The good news in all of this? There are plenty of them in Colorado. From
birthday parades to coronavirus snowmen you can use to blow off some steam,
Coloradans are helping each other and finding light in the darkness.
‘Feed the Frontlines’ raises $500,000 to help restaurants and frontline workers in Boulder
ABC 9 Denver | April 17
Feed the Frontlines is raising money for struggling restaurants and hungry frontline workers.
“We are getting donations from the community, [those] are going directly toward meals for local restaurants which are obviously struggling during these times,” explained Vikas Reddy, a local entrepreneur in Boulder who, along with his friend, Kyle Judah, came up with the idea locally and helped organize it.
Front Range sandwich shop owner providing free meals for staff at VA hospitals
Fox 31 | April 16
A local
sandwich shop owner is donating food to health care workers.
Former U.S. Army Ranger Wyatt Batchelor owns 13 Jimmy John’s shops on the Front
Range.
“We stretch from Colorado Springs to Windsor,” said Batchelor.
After three combat deployments in Afghanistan, he retired as a captain in 2014.
Re:Vision Shifts Gears to Help With Food Access Now
WestWord | April 16
Since 2007, Re:Vision has been concerned with food insecurity in Denver’s Westwood neighborhood; the organization was founded to create a network of family gardens to make up for a lack of fresh produce available in this section of southwest Denver, where grocery stores are few and far between. But the sudden economic downturn caused by the current coronavirus pandemic has made the needs of the community much more urgent.
Edgewater program feeds neighbors, keeps small restaurants afloat
ABC 9 Denver | April 16
Edgewater
didn’t grow larger and main street isn’t any longer, but there’s more space in
town, and Joel Newton feels it.
“There’s a little bit of distance, but at least we can see each other not
on a Zoom call,” Newton joked with the 9NEWS crew at the corner of 25th
Avenue and Ames Street.
COVID-19 created space between reporters and their subjects and complicated the
mission of Newton’s nonprofit Edgewater Collective.
Colorado vacation rentals offered as coronavirus relief lodging
Denver Post | April 16
Colorado vacation rental companies, brought to a standstill by the novel coronavirus and ensuing stay-at-home orders, have banded together to provide optional lodging for people who have been adversely affected by the pandemic.
Denver campaign pays restaurants to deliver meals to hospitals
Fox 31 | April 16
A trending
GoFundMe campaign is putting restaurants to work, and giving nurses and doctors
a free meal in the process.
Gretchen TeBrockhorst and her partners at PRIM Communications started Feeding
Colorado Heroes three weeks ago, and the concept has more than 450 donors and
over $44,000 raised in that time.
Mikaela Shiffrin performing for ‘Goggles for Docs’
ABC 9 Denver | April 16
Two-time
Olympic skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin is stepping up to the microphone
Friday to take part in a fundraiser for Goggles for Docs.
The self-taught singer and guitarist will perform from her home in Colorado as part
of the grassroots effort to provide health care workers with ski/snowboard
goggles to help in their care of patients. So far, they’ve donated more than
30,000 to hospitals and clinics.
Colorado electric utilities provide money to relief agencies, customers struggling during coronavirus pandemic
Denver Post | April 15
Xcel Energy plans to donate the first $1.5 million of more than $20 million in new corporate giving to COVID-19 relief efforts, including food banks and United Way chapters in its eight-state service territory.
Another utility, United Power, a Tri-State member, said it is distributing capital credit refunds earlier than usual to provide members of the electric cooperative some economic relief during the coronavirus pandemic. The Brighton-based utility will return a total of $5.5 million and nearly all members will benefit from the refunds, which will be sent starting in May, United Power said in a news release.
Citywide Banks Contributes $100,000 for COVID-19 Community Relief Efforts in Colorado
News Wire | April 15
Citywide Banks announced today it will commit $100,000 to support three local community initiatives related to Colorado’s COVID-19 crisis. The Denver-based bank will make significant contributions to the Denver Health Foundation COVID-19 Urgent Response Fund, the Food Bank of the Rockies, and Denver Economic Development & Opportunity’s Small Business Relief Fund. This latest community outreach follows earlier announcements about the bank’s comprehensive COVID-19 response measures centered around financial relief for clients and employee safety.
Retired nurse starts local grocery delivery service, which is seeking volunteers
Canyon Courier | April 15
The 54-year-old
Bailey resident turned to Facebook, where he found an ad for a grocery delivery
service benefitting the elderly and the most at-risk populations affected by
COVID-19. He called Cincerri Fleetwood, the retired nurse in charge of the
volunteer service, and offered his time.
“I just think it’s important for everybody to kick in, do anything you can to
help during what is obviously proving to be trying times for a lot of people,”
he said. “Just trying to do my part now.”
Colorado Springs auto business offers free oil changes to first responders and deals for other customers during pandemic
KKTV | April 15
Aspen Auto Clinic is working to make these tough times a little more bearable for their neighbors, offering up special deals to customers and even free services to first responders.
HCA Healthcare announces more than $1 million in grants
HCA | April 14
Our dedication to caring like family extends beyond our hospitals’ walls into the communities where we live and work. During this unprecedented time, we are honored to strengthen relationships with neighbors in our hometowns. The HCA Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic arm of HCA Healthcare, and a tax exempt trust affiliated with HCA Healthcare will provide more than $1 million in grants to local community organizations to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts.
Sam’s Club to launch ‘Hero Hours’ for health care workers and first responders
Fox 31 | April 14
Sam’s Club is
setting aside two hours each Sunday for first responders and health care
workers to shop inside its stores without the required membership, the company
announced on Twitter.
Starting Sunday, April 19, Sam’s Club will implement “Hero Hours,” expanding
its associate hours to include first responders and health care workers.
Colorado’s Innovative Response Team made three goals to manage COVID-19; What’s the status now?
KUSA 9News | April 10, 2020
Three weeks ago, Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) created the Innovation Response Team, made up of public employees and private businesses to meet three objectives:
- Develop statewide system for mass testing and rapid results
- Develop tech to track spread the virus’ spread
- Create a suite of services for citizens under quarantine or isolation
“We went from like 0 to 200 over the course of two weeks, on both the public and private sides,” said Innovation Response Team Chief of Staff Kacey Wulff.
Colorado Springs companies jumping into coronavirus fight
Colorado Springs Gazette | April 10
The war against
the novel coronavirus has found many willing soldiers in Colorado Springs.
A local inventor is working on a way to quickly create a supply of ventilators
to treat coronavirus patients. A Springs company is looking to manufacture
hundreds of face masks a week. Another company makes semiconductors used in
devices that analyze the DNA of the virus.
Dr. Marc Moss, an ICU pulmonologist at University of Colorado Hospital: “The crisis can tear people apart or the crisis can bring people together. And I think in the hospital there’s a common goal, and the common goal is we all are there to provide the best care to our patients that are in need. It’s a moral commitment that way.”
Colorado Springs employers adapt to COVID-19
Colorado Springs Indy | April 8
MyVillage, a
network of home-based child care providers in Colorado and Montana, has tried
to make sure its affiliates keep getting paid as some parents take their kids
out of care, says co-founder and CEO Erica Mackey. The company raised emergency
grant funding to help cover provider income lost due to coronavirus-related
concerns.
MyVillage is also part of the Colorado Emergency Child Care Collaborative, a
public-private partnership providing free child care for qualifying essential
workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
HCA Healthcare teams up with Google Cloud and SADA on data portal to help communities respond to COVID-19
HCA Healthcare | April 6
HCA Healthcare is teaming up with Google Cloud and SADA to launch a data portal for the COVID-19 pandemic. The open data platform will help accelerate analysis and response by aggregating data on ICU bed and ventilator utilization, testing results, and total number of patient visits to America’s hospital systems.
Electric scooter brands Lyft, Spin offering free rides in Denver to health care workers in April
Denver Post | April 3
Two e-scooter brands are now offering free riders to health care workers in Denver, while two others have pulled their machines off the city’s street entirely while they seek to wait out the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus private-sector heroes are stepping up to save the day
Denver Post | April 3
Without any invocation of the immensely powerful federal Defense Production Act of 1950, the owner of My Pillow, Inc. has shifted 75% of his company’s workforce to producing 50,000 potentially life-saving masks — each day.
Despite the frequent vilification by some, those who risk their futures and invest their lives into earning a living — and yes, a profit — through their businesses, will be among the many we will thank for getting us through this pandemic. For these private sector champions, it didn’t take government directing them to act or seizing their businesses. They did it because business has never been just about profit; it is also about service, despite what the detractors of our free enterprise system would like us to believe.
Innovation Response Team Finds Creative Solutions To Common Problems
CBS 4 Denver | April 2
A team of more
than 200 volunteers have banded together and are hoping to help Colorado find
unique solutions to common problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Jared
Polis has assembled the Innovation Response Team made up of tech entrepreneurs
to look at issues from outside-the-box.
“It’s a new approach that Gov. Polis had to solve really emerging and
challenging problems around coronavirus. And one of our big missions is to
harness the power and speed of the private sector in service of Coloradans,”
said Sarah Tuneberg, the Colorado Coronavirus Innovation Response Team Lead.
BVSD provides emergency child care for essential workers during coronavirus pandemic
Boulder Daily Camera | April 2
The Boulder
Valley School District is now offering emergency child care to those considered
essential workers at three locations.
As more small, private child care providers shut down because of coronavirus
concerns, the district began providing emergency child care Wednesday at the
request of Boulder County Public Health.
Nonprofit Providing Free RVs, Campers for Health Care Workers to Self-Isolate in
Yahoo News | April 2
Many health care workers are choosing to self isolate so they don’t put their families at risk of COVID-19. To ease that burden, a Colorado nonprofit is providing medical employees campers and RVs free of charge.
Bobo’s steps up production of Healthcare Heroes bar, donates to health workers
BizWest | April 1
Boulder-based Simply Delicious Inc., which does business as Bobo’s, pledged to donate a minimum of 20,000 “Bobo’s Bites” to health workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis.
“We rely on our health-care workers in a tremendous way — now more than ever,” said T.J. McIntyre, CEO at Bobo’s, in a prepared statement. “We need to take the extra effort to support our modern-day health-care heroes on the frontline during these extraordinary times.”
Broncos launch auction to support Colorado COVID-19 relief fund
Denver Broncos | March 30
To continue the organization’s efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 and help those who have been affected by it, the Denver Broncos announced Monday that they have launched an online auction and donation site to benefit the state of Colorado’s relief fund.
All of the proceeds from the auction, in addition to all monetary donations made through the site, will go toward Help Colorado Now, the Colorado COVID Relief Fund. The fund is hosted by the state and Mile High United Way and will be overseen by a committee of community leaders in Colorado to distribute flexible resources to organizations in the state working to help those who have been impacted by the disease.
USAA offering take-home meals, grocery pickup for employees
KCBY Oregon | March 31
USAA announced
a new program to help feed and supply its 35,000 employees with hard-to-find
grocery items.
In a press release issued Tuesday morning, USAA says it has teamed up with
Sodexo to provide take-home meals and essential grocery items to employees,
including those who are currently working from home.
USAA says the service is being offered at all its corporate campuses, including San Antonio, Plano, Phoenix, Tampa and Colorado Springs.
Do-it-yourself community making life-saving gear for Colorado medical professionals
Fox 31 | March 31
A small lab in
Colorado is working countless hours to make personal protective equipment for
medical staff fighting the coronavirus.
When word got out that local doctors and nurses were running low on their masks
and gowns, a group of mostly volunteers sprang into action.
That message made its way to members of the local do-it-yourself community who
belong to an organization called the MakerLab – a space to create and invent.
Denver Mattress Co. factory making face masks to protect against coronavirus
Denver Post | March 28, 2020
When the higher-ups at the Denver Mattress Co. heard about the mass shortages in face masks for medical professionals fighting the novel coronavirus, they looked inward. Turns out, the same material used in face masks already was being used in the mattress industry.
As Colorado and states around the country grapple with a severe shortage in personal protection equipment during the COVID-19 crisis, the Denver mattress giant is shifting production from personal comfort to personal safety.
Denver Mattress on Wednesday produced 1,200 face masks at its Denver factory, with plans to ramp up to 3,000 to 5,000 per day moving forward. The company has also offered to make ICU beds for additional patients as the outbreak worsens.
Crocs Launches Shoe Donation Program for Health Care Workers
Colorado Hometown Weekly | March 27
In Colorado, Crocs has already allocated about 10,000 pairs for local facilities, company spokeswoman Melissa Layton told BizWest.
“The health-care industry has always embraced Crocs, but our mantra of ‘be comfortable in your own shoes’ applies now more than ever, and we want to do more to help our nation’s heroes,” Rees said. “We have only one ask: Share the word to all those in health care and please be mindful to allow those who need these most to place their requests. This is the least we can do for those working incredibly hard to defeat this virus.”
Mesa Natural Gas Solutions Donating Power for Computing Modules Researching Coronavirus Cure
Grand Junction Sentinel | March 26
Mesa Natural Gas Solutions (Mesa) will be donating natural gas generators to power computing modules assisting in the urgent search for a cure to the novel coronavirus or COVID-19.
“We jumped at the opportunity to fully support this effort to research this terrible virus that has paralyzed our country and the world,” said Scott Gromer, President and CEO of Mesa. “Mesa has in the past, and will always focus our company’s resources to where they are needed most in society, whether that is emergency response after natural disasters or helping our partners search for a cure to COVID-19. Our generators are the perfect tool to ensure this research will be done effectively and without interruptions to the power source, while utilizing this resource that may otherwise be wasted.”
Advocates Push Colorado to Extend Emergency Child Care to Grocery Workers
Colorado Politics | March 26
… Representatives from the state grocery workers union, the United Food and Commercial Workers, and Coloradans for the Common Good, a coalition of unions, faith organizations, and civic groups, said they talked with Polis Tuesday about recognizing grocery workers as part of the “essential” category and that he was encouraging.
How Colorado Lined Up Child Care for 1,000 Essential Workers in One Week
Colorado Sun | March 25
… What started as a broad-based effort to ensure Colorado’s essential workers have access to child care while battling the new coronavirus ended with a system that placed 1,700 kids into the hands of licensed providers statewide — all within the span of a week.
The care will be free to families through April 4, thanks to state and federal funds as well as philanthropic dollars from the Buell Foundation and Centura Health, leaders of the initiative said.
Meet Colorado COVID-19 Economic and Innovation Dream Team
WestWord | March 24
… You may have missed two other significant developments: the formation of separate advisory committees peopled by some of the most influential business, political and government leaders in the state.
Some, but not all, of these heavy hitters are well known among local news junkies — most prominently former Denver mayor and U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Peña. Others aren’t headline names beyond their particular industries, but that doesn’t make them any less powerful.
Emergency Relief Funds, Mask-Making, Donation Drives All to Help Pikes Peak Region with Coronavirus Impacts
Out There Colorado | March 24
… Building on its tradition of performing amid tragedy to celebrate the resiliency of the local community, the First Line band based in Colorado Springs gave a benefit virtual concert Saturday night online. … The concert drew more than 1,300 online viewers and raised a yet-unknown amount of money for the Pikes Peak Community Foundation’s Emergency Relief Funds to benefit El Paso and Teller counties’ nonprofits.
Colorado Businesses, Experts Form Task Force To Combat Coronavirus
CBS 4 Denver | March 23
A group of experts, leaders, and business people from Colorado’s public and private sectors will be crucial to our state’s response to COVID-19. The Innovation Response Team Task Force will work to develop a statewide system for mass testing and rapid results, develop technology to track the spread of the virus, create a suite of services for people who are isolated, and find local alternatives for creating and securing supplies.
“Furious” at Federal Lag in COVID-19 Response, Colorado Governor Announces New Restrictions & Task Force
ABC 7 Denver | March 22
Colorado will establish a new task force to repurpose Colorado businesses to help in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by manufacturing needed medical equipment and better tracking the virus in the wake of what Gov. Jared Polis said was a sluggish reaction by the federal government, and will have employers cut the number of in-person workers at businesses spaces to 50% or less of the workforce by Tuesday.
“This is the sort of patriotic response that we need across the public and private sector for Colorado to mount a response to this virus that saves lives,” Polis said. “This is Colorado in our toughest days, but it is also Colorado at its best: Rising to the occasion to offer what we can do to save the lives of our fellow citizens.’”
Colorado Blood Donor Reaches 80-Gallon Milestone
NBC 9 News | March 19
Virgil Olson, who has been donating blood since he was 18 years old, has reached a remarkable milestone. The Coloradan reached the 80-gallon milestone on Thursday, March 12. … Amidst novel coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention measures, Vitalant is urging healthy individuals in Colorado to donate blood.
Medical Equipment and Supplies
Honeywell will produce 6 million N95 masks for Colorado
Center Square | May 26
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced a partnership with Honeywell on Tuesday that will bring millions of N95 face masks to the state.
Honeywell, a multinational technology company, will produce 6 million masks for health care workers in the state, the governor said.
The masks will “keep our front line health care workers safe,” Polis said, attributing the 17-month contract to his administration’s Innovation Response Team.
Montrose Battelle System facility is ready to take in N95 masks for decontamination
Montrose Press | May 12
The recently installed Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System was introduced to the Montrose community on Monday, and government officials were welcomed to tour the facility and learn how it will help impact the region.
The system takes in N95 masks to decontaminate them using vapor phase hydrogen peroxide, and sends them back to healthcare centers, allowing safe conservation of resources. The system can process up to 80,000 masks per day, and each mask can be decontaminated up to 20 times.
Low Cost Ventilator Developed In Colorado Could Get FDA Approval
CBS4 Denver | May 10
A low cost, rapid response ventilator is in the final stages of Food and Drug Administration approval for emergency use. It’s all following a team effort from Colorado State University and Woodward Inc., a Fort Collins-based aerospace company.
Development started in early March at the request of Gov. Jared Polis’ Innovation Response Team. At the time, the group, consisting of people from the public and private sectors, was tasked with finding solutions to problems like PPE and ventilator shortages, as well as developing a system for mass testing and rapid results.
New system in Adams County set to clean up to 80,000 masks a day
KDVR | May 7
From the outside, the Battelle Decontamination System looks like nothing more than a series of shipping containers.
But inside sits technology that could be a game changer for Colorado hospitals, where personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies are dwindling.
The system, now up and running at the Adams County Fairgrounds, is capable of cleaning up to 80,000 N-95 masks every single day.
Colorado has received millions of masks and gloves to protect health care workers, Polis says
Denver Post | May 6
Gov. Jared Polis said he feels Colorado has been successful in acquiring vital personal protection equipment for health care workers and first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the state has received millions of masks and gloves and hundreds of thousands of face shields and protective gowns in recent weeks.
The state has obtained more than 2.4 million surgical masks, 116,065 face shields, 195,109 gowns, 1.64 million gloves and 534,474 masks since early April, Polis said in a news conference.
Colorado secures millions of N95 and surgical masks in coronavirus fight
Coloradoan | May 6
Colorado has had a successful month of procuring personal protective equipment, securing more than 3 million surgical and N95 masks since April 1 along with a second Battelle sterilization system for N95 masks.
There’s a distillery near Denver where you can pick up hand sanitizer for free
NBC 9 | May 6
Hand sanitizer,
like many commodities (think toilet paper, bleach and even meat), can be hard
to come by these days.
Ballmer Peak Distillery — located at 12347 Alameda Pkwy. in Lakewood — is one
place where people can pick up hand sanitizer curbside. It’s also free.
Woodward, CSU team join forces on rapid-response ventilator project
CSU | May 6
A natural gas fuel injector may not be a staple in the medical device industry, but for a team of engineers from Colorado State University and Fort Collins-based Woodward, Inc., it proved to be a key component in the design of a low-cost, durable ventilator.
How colleges and universities are stepping up to produce essential PPE for health-care workers
CNBC | May 5
At Colorado College, students and professors across a wide range of disciplines have come together to make face shields for first responders, health-care workers and nearby indigenous communities that have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus.
Arvada couple makes masks with 1910 Singer sewing machine they found in their guest bedroom
NBC 9 Denver | May 5
As the army of mask makers grows, an Arvada veteran and his wife have joined the cause … but first, Giselle Williams had to learn how to sew on a machine more than 100 years old.
How colleges and universities are stepping up to produce essential PPE for health-care workers
CNBC | May 5
At Colorado College, students and professors across a wide range of disciplines have come together to make face shields for first responders, health-care workers and nearby indigenous communities that have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus.
A volunteer army has answered Colorado’s need for masks.
Colorado Sun | May 4
Recently minted grassroots groups, with names like Dena’s Mask Making Army and Mask Mavens of Lakewood, joined established charitable organizations in responding quickly to the department’s call for help. They and others — from nonprofits to individuals eager to chip in — continue to churn out masks for at-risk populations to blunt a pandemic that could extend well into the future.
Teachers Making Intubation Boxes To Help Colorado Health Care Workers
CBS4 Denver | May 3
Stopping the spread of COVID-19 is a community effort. People in Colorado have been coming together to keep each other healthy. Three Littleton Public Schools teachers are doing their part by using their knowledge and skills to protect hospital workers.
They are making intubation boxes for Colorado hospitals.
Selling Masks And Helping Our Communities
Forbes | May 1
Knotty Tie is collaborating with the Colorado Hospital Association and the Colorado Health Foundation to produce 25,000 masks for rural Colorado hospitals at no cost to them.
Berthoud volunteers supply military, health care workers with thousands of free masks
Fox 31 | April 28
A volunteer sewing group that has donated thousands of free masks needs
supplies to fill current orders.
The Berthoud COVID sewing group has an assembly line of cutting and sewing masks
with more than 30 members. The group says it has shipped 5,016 masks to
military, health care and font line workers.
Golden’s Yeti Cycles making and donating 20,000 face shields in coronavirus response
Know the Outdoors | April 27
Since production began April 13, Yeti has produced 9,500 face shields at its Golden headquarters toward a commitment of 20,000 it expects to complete by the first week in May. As of Friday, more than 8,300 had been delivered to 117 different beneficiaries that have included Children’s Hospital, St. Anthony’s Hospital, Jefferson County Open Space and the Golden Police Department, the company said.
Beer Makers Provide Crucial Step in Hand Sanitizer Production
Westword | April 27
WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley was one of the first to jump into the fray in March, teaming up with Pine Bluffs Distilling in Wyoming, Tower 56 Distilling in Greeley and the soon-to-open Molly Brown Distillery in Denver, along with Root Shoot Malting, which donated corn, to produce more than 2,000 gallons of hand sanitizer.
In the past few weeks, the product has been distributed to more than 300 hospitals, medical facilities, city and county municipalities, nonprofit organizations and “essential” businesses in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska.
Mile High Connects delivers protective equipment for RTD operators
Colorado Politics | April 22
Mile High
Connects, a transit advocacy group in the Denver metro area, has delivered
2,000 surgical masks and 240 face shields for the Regional Transportation
District’s operators.
“I know that all of RTD is grateful,” said RTD Director Kate Williams,
District A.
Materials for medical gowns undergo rigorous testing by CSU experts
Source | April 22
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to fill hospitals around the state, several Colorado manufacturers are hoping to shift gears and start making medical gowns for health-care professionals in need of personal protective equipment. They have turned to a high-tech textile laboratory at Colorado State University for its expertise in testing materials that could be used for the gowns.
Mines’ Student Makes 3D PPE For Colorado & Wyoming Health Care Workers
CBS4 Denver | April 22
Students at Colorado School of Mines are using their engineering skills
to work as part of a statewide effort. They will help provide personal protective
equipment to workers on front lines in the fight against COVID-19.
“Each mask takes about three hours,” explained Chance Reeves, a senior at
Colorado School of Mines.
3D Ear Savers Make Masks More Comfortable For Health Care Workers
CBS4 Denver | April 21
Sandra and her daughter, Aniyah Salaz, have been doing their part by helping health care workers relieve the pressure that goes with wearing a protective mask for hours.
Colorado receives order of 1 million surgical masks to distribute to health care workers
Denver Post | April 20
Colorado has received a shipment of 1 million surgical masks from China for front-line medical workers, including the 1 million surgical masks and another million N95 respirators, which provide more protection from airborne germs. A spokesperson for the state’s Innovation Response Team confirmed Sunday that the state had received the surgical masks, but testing is ongoing to ensure they provide the promised level of protection.
CTHS Student Leadership students donate $5K to PPE fabrication
Cherry Creek Schools | April 16
Amid all of the disappointment, confusion and stress wrought by the cancellations, the students found a shared mission. They wanted the money that had been earmarked for the banquet to serve a purpose; they wanted to contribute to a cause greater than themselves. According to Johnson, the students wanted to make good on Leadership’s mission statement: “In an effort to leave a legacy and evoke change, we will stand up, stand out and include all!” They were likewise cognizant of the Student Leadership’s core value, to “commit to a cause greater than your own,” and of the theme for the year, “Make an ImpaCT: If not me, then who?”
Denver Community Donates Thousands of Supplies to Support Essential Workers
Denver Mayor’s Office | April 15
From hand sewn face coverings to medical gowns, Denver residents and businesses have donated thousands of items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to support essential workers. In addition to the community donations, Denver is also receiving shipments of much needed PPE throughout the week. The shipments include critical supplies of surgical and N-95 masks, face shields and gloves.
Denver tie company survives by making masks
ABC 9 Denver | April 14
Instead of folding during the pandemic, Knotty Tie found a new way to
cover its losses. Donations from the AJL Foundation and Colorado Health
Foundation allowed the company to pivot from ties to personal protective
equipment, or PPE.
“We’ve now started production and supply on 25,000 masks for rural
hospitals,” Priest said.
Skiers and boarders donated more than 28,000 ski goggles for medical personnel in two weeks
Know the Outdoors | April 14
As an orthopedic surgeon at Rose Medical Center, Catherine Logan believes
wearing ski goggles gives her better protection from coronavirus transmission
in the operating room. That makes her especially grateful for the efforts of
Goggles for Docs, a national organization that has collected more than 28,000
goggles from donors for distribution to medical personnel in a little more than
two weeks.
And in Colorado, Lakewood-based Christy Sports — a chain of winter sports
specialty stores with more than 55 locations in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and
Washington — has donated more than 60 pairs of new goggles to Rose Medical
Center. It’s also making 11 of its Colorado stores available as Goggles for
Docs drop-off points for people who want to donate to the cause.
Blood Purification System Developed By Colorado Company Gets Emergency Approval
CBS 4 Denver | April 10
Colorado is on the front line of finding a way to treat and prevent
COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just given emergency
approval for a blood purification system developed by a company in Lakewood.
The product from TerumoBCT filters out proteins in the blood that controls a
cell’s immune response. The filtered blood is then returned to the patient.
How Outdoor Brands Are Pitching in to Stop COVID-19
Outdoor Magazine | April 8
Hestra: The glove maker donated 38,000 pairs of nitrile gloves to first responders in Arvada, Colorado, where its U.S. headquarters is based.
Mask up: Campaign to help Colorado reduce spread of COVID-19
Chaffee County Times | April 8
Chaffee County Public Health director Andrea Carlstrom said that the department was working with several local groups looking to conduct mask drives safely during a Facebook Live update on the viral outbreak Monday.
“The masks are out there and we want to make sure everyone has the tools to cover their mouths and faces when they do come out,” Carlstrom said.
In Buena Vista, a grassroots mask-sewing project distributed about 100 masks in the first week of April, according to a Facebook post by organizer Amy Eckstein.
Medical-quality masks manufactured by local couple
La Junta Tribune Democrat | April 7
Jessica Klein and Jaron Hinkley have undertaken a mission requested by Gov. Jared Polis recently: medical-quality masks are needed for medical providers throughout the state. These masks may be manufactured by anyone who has a 3D printer. Hinkley had a 3D printer. The couple had their mission to help out in the COVID-19 crisis.
These Outdoor Brands Are Stepping it up During the COVID-19 Outbreak
The Trek | April 7
From Cascade Designs Inc. to L.L. Bean, outdoor gear retailers are
shifting their factory production lines to face masks and medical gowns to
clothe and protect health care workers on the front lines of COVID-19.
Cascade Designs, parent company of Mountain Safety Research and Therm-a-Rest,
transitioned its Seattle factory to manufacture ASTM Level 1 medical masks.
Production began March 31 with 1,000 masks a day, with a target of 20,000 masks
daily.
‘Operation We Can Sew It’ Urges People To Make Masks For Health Care Workers
CBS 4 Denver | April 3
Many healthcare workers are still desperate to get adequate masks to protect themselves. That’s why “Operation We Can Sew It” hopes people will learn how to sew masks they can use for themselves and donate some to medical staff.
The group was started by two doctors. Their goal is to help health care workers, and save some of those N95 masks for people working directly with patients having respiratory issues. The doctors reviewed several designs and believe this particular pattern could offer a desired level of protection until more of the N95s come in. That could take months as many of the masks were made in China where the outbreak started.
Marijuana Grower, Brewery, Distillery Partner to Make Hand Sanitizer
WestWord | April 2
To help fight
the pandemic, three businesses in the marijuana and alcohol industries have
teamed up with a packaging company to provide sanitizer for emergency medical
service providers and health-care workers in Chaffee County, as well as supply
local retailers with product they can sell for charity.
Marijuana cultivator Pure Greens, Wood’s High Mountain Distillery, Elevation
Beer Co. and Pursell Manufacturing have made about 5,000 bottles of hand
sanitizer so far, according to Pure Greens CEO Sterling Stoudenmire, who got
the idea from stories about breweries and distilleries that were doing the
same.
Osprey Packs switches to making protective masks
The Journal | April 3
Pack repair is
not an essential business under Colorado public health orders limiting commerce
to slow down the coronavirus pandemic.
So Osprey Packs, in Cortez, got permission to adjust its repair shop to
manufacture protective masks for the local health care industry.
Ford delivers 8,000 face shields to Denver and Aurora health systems
Fox 31 | March 31
Ford Motor
Company sent 8,000 face shields to the Denver and Aurora health systems set to
arrive this week. Included in the list of health systems are Medical Center of
Aurora, Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center and Spalding Rehab Hospital.
Ford announced it will assemble more than 100,000 critically needed plastic
face shields per week.
Coronavirus In Colorado: Parker Company Ramps Up Hand Sanitizer Production To Help
CBS4 Denver | March 30, 2020
For almost two decades, OraLabs in Parker has mass produced personal hygiene products such as hand sanitizer, lip balm, toothpaste, and more.
Last week, its CEO Gary Schlatter got a call from Noel Ginsburg, who is a point person on Gov. Jared Polis’ newly formed Innovation Response Team Task Force, which will work with the state to secure much-needed supplies and protective equipment for hospitals and state agencies.
In just a week, OraLabs shifted production to fill the state’s needs, which includes making at least 20,000 personal bottles of hand sanitizer per day. The tougher task will be filling thousands of large bottles, too, which the company has never done before.
Coronavirus In Colorado: Denver Center Costume Designers Hand-Craft Masks
CBS4 Denver | March 30, 2020
After Gov. Jared Polis issued a stay-at-home order, staff with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts are now working to use their artistic talents to help the medical community. Costume designers like Meghan Doyle and Kevin Copenhaver are spending their time at home hand-crafting masks. The masks are made out of old costume material from previous performances. Doyle told CBS4’s Dillon Thomas she hoped the handmade masks would be donated to those who have much-needed N95 masks.
Colorado Springs Business Giving Out Medical-Grade Mask Material
KRDO | March 29
A family owned company, Timberline Foam & Upholstery Supply, is doing their part by donating mask material to the local community.
Shane Daniels and Daniel Trujillo, who work at the family-run business, have assembled plastic bags containing one yard of material. They’ve put together dozens of bags and each bag makes approximately 14 masks.
Local sewing company stitching up surgical masks
Grand Junction Sentinel | March 28
Former Grand Junction state Rep. Laura Bradford is answering a call to serve the citizens of Colorado once again, but this time it isn’t to run for political office. Bradford, who served three terms in the Colorado House from 2008 until 2013, has converted part of her Seventh Street sewing business, ProSafe Products, into making surgical masks and other needed medical items because of a nationwide shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Until the coronavirus crisis hit the nation, Bradford’s firm was specializing in gowns, disposable face drapes and other products meant for the dental industry.”
Melly Masks: Made in Leadville
Leadville Today | March 27
Melanzana, the Outdoor Clothing Company located in Leadville, Colorado will soon begin making fabric surgical masks, according to owner Fritz Howard. The manufacturing shop for the wildly popular line of microfiber clothing – which can bearly be kept on the shelf these days – will temporarily transition into making personal protective equipment (PPE) for Lake County healthcare workers, EMTs, firefighters and law enforcement officers.
We’re Open Colorado: Axe and the Oak Distillery creates hand sanitizer
KOAA | March 26
With all of this in mind, let’s take a look at Axe and the Oak Distillery which is now working to create hand sanitizer to meet the growing need.
“It just seems that everyone is hurting out there. Our community, Colorado Springs has helped us in just huge ways and we just want to give back,” stated Ross. The company has started production and ordered thousands of one ounce bottles. They estimate distribution can begin in about a week and a half.
CBD company begins sanitizer production
BizWest | March 26
“Colorado Green Films Technology LLC has begun creating a hand sanitizer to offer for free to essential employees, who have no choice but to work during the COVID-19 crisis…Rich Crawford, co-founder and CEO of Colorado Green Films Technology, wants to provide essential workers, such as dispensary employees working curbside exchanges, with sanitizer because, “there’s such a big shortage out there.” Donations will start near the company’s base in Loveland and extend to Northern Colorado and Boulder Valley communities.”
Coors Is Joining Other Breweries and Distillers in Producing Hand Sanitizer
Business Insider | March 26
The maker of Coors beer, Molson Coors Beverage Co., is producing hand sanitizer at all six of its craft breweries in response to the coronavirus outbreak, the company announced.
The company’s craft breweries are not only using their equipment and raw materials to make hand sanitizer, they’re also giving meals to nonprofits in their communities as well as their distributor partners and employees, in addition to donating funds to help bartenders and service industry workers affected by the massive bar and restaurant closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
… Coors also donated 50,000 cans of water to the Salvation Army Intermountain Division in Denver, Colo, the company said. And Coors pledged to give $1 million to the United States Bartenders’ Guild, an organization that helps bartenders and other service industry professionals.
John Elway Donates $50,000 to COVID-19 Relief Fund
CBS 4 Denver | March 26
The Denver Broncos and John Elway are helping support Coloradans during the coronavirus pandemic. First, the team donated $500,000 to the Colorado COVID-19 Relief Fund. Then, Elway, who is the President of Football Operations/General Manager, made a personal contribution of $50,000 to the fund.
‘A Way We Can Help:’ 3D Printers Helping Create Face Shield Masks for Medical Workers
FOX 6 | March 26
Genesis Plastics Technologies in Greeley, a company called upon by the governor’s task force, is mass producing plastic face shields. They’ve turned their 3D printing business into a manufacturing site for protective masks for doctors and nurses treating patients with COVID-19.
“From the face shield side, we can produce 5,000 to 6,000 per hour,” Jake Comer, sales manager with Genesis Plastics Technologies said. “The challenge here is the halo ring, which the face shield attaches to, and currently as a bridge we’re having those items 3D printed.”
Manufacturer Steps in to Create Masks
Biz West | March 26
H2 Manufacturing is a small company not yet impacted by COVID-19. It decided that it could produce masks and offer them free to others needing them.
“We’re just basically taking what would have been our profits from the last couple of months and taking that into this project because, as Heidi says, ‘Sometimes you just have to figure out how to pay for it later because it’s the right thing to do at the time,’” Morimitsu said.
How Colorado Brewers and Distillers Are Coping in the Age of COVID-19
5280 Magazine | March 25th
Like other distilleries across the state and country, including Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse in RiNo, Spirit Hound now dedicates part of its labor toward the production of a product in high demand: hand sanitizer. Lyons Mayor Connie Sullivan asked if Spirit Hound could make it, since distilling the key ingredient—liquid in excess of 60 percent alcohol—is straightforward for spirits makers. For now, Spirit Hound is giving the hand sanitizer away, with the bulk going to first responders and hospitals. Meanwhile, Englehorn says a local hospital is working to budget funds for the distillery-made product.”
Nurse or Seamstress? Hospital Staff Create Homemade Masks
NBC 9 News Denver | March 25
In a designated room at Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, an assembly line is up and running. Nurses and other staff members have already created hundreds of masks out of materials found in their own hospital. “It’s is a paper material, a type of wrap that we wrap instruments in to sterilize them to use for surgery,” explained Lesia Hatlestad, a nurse and clinical practice specialist for the hospital’s operating room.
Veterinarians Donate Vital Supplies to Coronavirus Fight
Associated Press | March 25
In response to a call last week by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for materials to combat the pandemic, vet schools from North Carolina to Colorado to New York are stepping up.
The Colorado State University vet school delivered to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins a breathing machine that was “brand new, right out of the box,” professor Tim Hackett said. “We did not get a chance to use it.”
Greeley Plastics Company Joins Effort To Meet Medical Equipment Shortage
KUNC | March 24
A Greeley plastics company has joined a statewide effort to fill the gaps in personal protective equipment, or PPE, for medical workers on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak.
Genesis Plastics, with its offices and manufacturing facility in Greeley, was approached last week to participate in a state task force looking at shortages in masks, gloves, gowns and face shields for doctors, nurses and testing site clinicians.
Genesis Plastics usually makes packaging and other medical products, but hasn’t made a face shield prior to the current coronavirus crisis.
Genesis is equipped to manufacture upward of 50,000 face shields per day, but are having to rely on local 3D printing companies to churn out the halo to allow it to be worn.
Ford Is Using Stock Car Parts to Upgrade the Design of Ventilators and Respirators
Quartz | March 24
In the face of a global economic shutdown, the three companies are part of a growing number of corporations who are reorienting their resources and supply chains to help arrest the coronavirus pandemic. LVMH’s perfume factories are making hand sanitizer while distilleries like BrewDog and 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company in Colorado are making anti-bacterial gels.
Emergency Relief Funds, Mask-Making, Donation Drives All to Help Pikes Peak Region with Coronavirus Impacts
Out There Colorado | March 24
“Colorado Crafting for a Cause, the online Facebook group that formed after wildfires began ravaging Australia, has turned its mask-making efforts to benefit workers at local nursing homes, memory care centers, hospitals, fire departments, doctors’ offices and others in need.
Colorado Businesses, Experts Form Task Force To Combat Coronavirus
CBS 4 Denver | March 23
Greeley-based Genesis Plastics is preparing to make plastic medical face shields. OraLabs will produce 20,000 personal use hand sanitizers for first responders and up to 2,000 half gallon containers for hospitals.
Church Volunteers Make Masks for Health Care Workers
Grand Junction Sentinel | March 22
… Five volunteers at the church spent the past few days making face masks, which they donated to health care workers at Family Health West and Colorado Canyons Hospital.
“It’s something we can do to help,” said Gail Seeley, one of the volunteers.
Crafters Make Medical Masks to Help with Shortage
KKTV | March 22
… Many doctors offices and hospitals are turning to the public, asking them to make masks for health care workers. That’s when a Colorado crafting group started to get to work.
“We had one woman post the other day that she made 25, another posted that she made 50, a lot of people are just making a couple,” Chancy Anderson of Colorado Crafting for a Cause said. “I would say we have close to over 500 or even 1000.”
The group is happy to help, and says it feels good to make a difference when there is so much uncertainty.
Brighton Business Makes Major Mask Donation to Emergency Workers
Fox 31 Denver | March 20
Valiant Contractors, Foundation Building Materials and Elite Drains donated masks to Littleton Adventist Hospital, which is part of the Centura system.
“In Thornton, firefighters have been using more gear than usual while answering COVID-19 calls. It’s the reason CVJ Axles of Brighton gave Thornton firefighters 1,200 N95 masks it had in storage. ‘We are in a time of crisis. We can get through it if we work together. I have seen lots of hoarding and hear stories of hoarding and it seems to me that I would rather help than hoard,’ CVJ President Steve Skirrow said.”
Colorado Distilleries Switch to Making Hand Sanitizer, and They’re Giving It Away Free
Denver Post | March 19
Spirit Hound Distillers followed a World Health Organization recipe to begin making hand sanitizer. “So far, Spirit Hound has donated its hand sanitizer to the Lyons Fire Protection District, local businesses and a Lyons home healthcare nurse, who passed some along to healthcare nonprofits. Bottles are also available at the tasting room for a suggested donation of $5.” J&L Distilling in Boulder is also looking to begin making hand sanitizer.
PPE Drives
Longmont: Ongoing
- Notes: Organized by Longmont United Hospital
Blood Drives
Centura Health: Ongoing
- As Colorado reaches a critical point in our blood supply, we are partnering with Vitalant, one of the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit community blood serve providers.
Children’s Hospital Colorado: Ongoing
- In partnership with American Red Cross of Colorado. Call: (720) 777-5398