CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte nonprofit is making sure families in underserved communities have all the personal protective equipment they need to help survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Volunteers at NC MedAssist recently delivered 100 boxes of PPE items to more than 30 nonprofits in Mecklenburg County, thanks to a partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care.
Items included infrared thermometers, face masks, shields, cleaning supplies, and hand sanitizer.
NC MedAssist is the state’s only charitable, free pharmacy that provides prescription medication by mail to more than 20,000 patients with chronic illnesses each year.
According to NC MedAssist director Sheila Kidwell, more than 75% of patients are on medication to treat a chronic illness such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease, and nearly half are on behavioral health medication.
Their focus during COVID-19, outside of its normal duties, was to give back and show a sense of support from one organization to another.
“All the organizations work with people, especially high-risk individuals, they may have homelessness or health issues, and so it was very critical to get these," Kidwell said.
RELATED: Doctors explain why heart disease patients should not put off appointments because of the pandemic
This is not the only way NC Med Assist is giving back to the community.
The nonprofit is gearing up to hand out disaster relief bags to those impacted by the recent tornado in Brunswick County.
NC MedAssist began in 1997. Learn more about NC MedAssist here: https://medassist.org/.