“Our mission has always been to help New Yorkers, and given current circumstances, we are finding new ways to do that,” said Larry Smart, associate director of Cornell AgriTech. “Because the health of Geneva community members is important, we have made the decision to donate a large amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) that we normally use for research to Finger Lakes Health (FLH).”
The New York State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have anticipated a surge of COVID-19 cases, which has caused a nationwide shortage of certain medical supplies. Based in Geneva, New York, FLH reached out to local businesses and community members, asking them to donate supplies to help meet the predicted surge.
Cornell AgriTech employees joined forces to donate a total of 200 tyvek suits and overalls, 50 masks and thousands of gloves to FLH on March 27. As both scientists and as long-time residents of Geneva, Larry Smart and Chris Smart, director of the School of Integrative Plant Science, felt it was important to give back to their community.
