WC New Mexico News

Since the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a severe rise in the prices of personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as a shortage as the people race to stockpile them, according to the New Mexico Political Report. 

Adrian Rodriguez, who is the head of three home health organizations, is doing everything possible to keep his patients and staff safe.

“I’ve been inundated with calls coming from (vendors in) China and India," Rodriguez told the New Mexico Political Report. "It’s stuff we have to vet and verify it’s not an overnight company selling fake N95 masks. I don’t want to risk the life of my nurses.”

The lack of PPE prohibits the home health organizations from taking in patients who truly need help from the virus or even those who are showing mild symptoms. 

“We can’t take COVID-19 positive cases," Rodriguez told the New Mexico Political Report. "We don’t have enough equipment.”

Rodriguez further states that he does not want any PPE from the national stockpile as the majority of it has expired or is on way to hospitals. This caused him to look elsewhere in places such as Pakistan, China, India and Greece.

“If anybody can save hospitals from the rush of patients, it’s going to be home health because we can take care of discharged patients,” he told the publication.

Rodriguez says is doing everything possible to get PPE so that he can make sure that his patients are safe and healthy to the best of his organization's abilities. This includes hiring workers to create masks for each employee. He also asked a personal contact from a company in Greece to create and send 100 cloth masks. 

“I never thought I’d be in the sewing business,” he told the New Mexico Political Report.

Rodriguez has also gone to social media platforms like YouTube and is spreading DIY instruction videos with the help of volunteers.