SPECIAL DELIVERY: Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail, Medical Director of Heroes-Aid (left) with Mary Leahy, CEO of Heroes-Aid (Second from the right) with frontline medical staff at the Safetynet Primary Care community assessment hub in the Mater Hospital during a delivery of essential PPE equipment from Heroes-Aid.

Heroes-Aid will today (Tuesday) deliver 6,100 surgical masks, 100 FFP2 face masks, 60 gowns and 48 visors to frontline workers in Kerry.

Heroes-Aid, a voluntary not-for-profit organisation, established in the early stage of COVID-19, to protect and support frontline health care workers, is arranging for the direct distribution today of urgently needed PPE to 200 locations across Ireland, including seven sites in Kerry.

The delivery includes 250,000 face masks, 10,000 visors, 7,000 gowns and 9,000 high specification FFP2 face masks to hospitals, GP practices, nursing homes, and a number of NGOs. In its first three months, Heroes-Aid has made a number of significant deliveries of PPE nationwide. However, the distribution today marks the largest to-date to Ireland’s frontline healthcare workers.

The PPE deliveries will also include charities with a focus on the homeless sector including Simon Community; The Peter McVerry Trust; COPE Galway; Merchant’s Quay Ireland; SafetyNet Primary Care; and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

“We are still seeing a high demand for PPE from frontline workers, in particular our GPs, who are the first line of defence against COVID-19,” Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail, Medical Director of Heroes-Aid said. “These deliveries of PPE will allow our frontline workers and heroes continue to care for their patients safely.”

Heroes-Aid does not aim to replace HSE PPE deliveries, but to address urgent shortages and act as a bridge between deliveries, he added. “Our work is very much complementary to the great work being undertaken by the HSE and every cent raised to date has provided PPE to those on the frontline.

Mary Leahy, CEO of Heroes-Aid, added that if there are frontline workers who are in critical need of PPE, she would urge them to contact them through their website www.heroes-aid.com.

“We want to help and protect as many frontline workers as we can.”

The work of Heroes-Aid has been made possible by the incredible work and fundraising effort of individuals and groups across Ireland. In just two months, donations of €250,000 by members of the public from all over Ireland have been made to help and protect the frontline heroes.

A special thanks is due to Bravo Charlie Tango bikers for their help in delivering the PPE, along with Heroes-Aid, throughout Ireland.

Heroes-Aid was established on a voluntary basis by Mary Leahy, a Public Health Nurse, and further came to life with a growing committee and Irish band Keywest, who produced a music video aptly called ‘Ordinary Superhero’.

The voluntary organisation also intends to provide longer-term psychological, educational and practical support for frontline healthcare workers, their children and families who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.