Chinese American Neighbors Rally to Support Local Hospital Lahey

Bedford and Lexington, MA ─ April 27 th , 2020 ─ Alerted by the acute shortage of Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) in Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, within a very short period of 17 days, a group of Chinese American residents in the neighboring towns of Bedford and Burlington procured 200 of the most-needed medical coveralls from overseas and donated them to the doctors and nurses caring for the surging number of COVID-19 patients amid this worsening pandemic.

“I learned that local hospitals are in acute shortage of PPEs in early April, as they were likely overlooked by mainstream charity efforts targeting larger hospitals. I decided to help.” said Xiaohui Lu, a Bedford resident, “I was encouraged by members of the local Chinese American community, who quickly decided to pitch in.”

Speed is of essence to get these much-needed medical coveralls to Lahey Burlington. In just 17 days, Mr. Lu and fellow neighbors identified quality supplier overseas, convinced the supplier to sell to them the highly sought-after gowns, express shipped and delivered these coveralls to Lahey.

At the same time, through the local non-profit organization Chinese Americans of Lexington (CALex), about 20 families from Bedford and Burlington Chinese American community pooled together more than $5,000 to pay for the goods and shipping. CALex Co-President Qing Liu said, “We are very pleased to see the smooth execution of this donation to Lahey Burlington. CALex is committed to partnering with members of our community to helping each other in the times of need”.

When accepting the donation, Susan, a nurse from Lahey thanked the donors “I hope you know how much we appreciate your efforts to keep us safe!” Juan Gao, a Bedford donor who delivered the coveralls to Lahey Burlington, was jubilant “This is the first time I actively participate in such a donation effort. The heart-felt appreciation by Susan simply made my day!”

“In this trying time, everybody can help, and every bit of help counts.” said Xiaohui Lu, “Doctors and nurses in our local hospitals are our last line of defense against COVID-19. Let’s do more together to help protect them from the virus infection!”

CALex is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information about CALex, please
contact contact@calexma.org or go to https://calexma.org