Using social media to spread compassion in the time of COVID-19
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Kelly Rovetto and Lesley Seymour are new friends who have teamed up on a mission to help fill the need for medical gear during this public health emergency.
The idea came after Seymour read a couple of disturbing news articles.
“They were about all the nurses and the first responders and all those people who don’t have enough garb to protect themselves,” she says. The articles described workers creating masks out of coffee filters and cloth.
“My daughter’s in dental school and I remember seeing her wearing all her masks and her garb, and I thought, ‘Where is all of this stuff that people haven’t thought of?'”
So she reached out to Rovetto, a well-connected medical device rep for Allergan.
Rovetto says she went into action, “I immediately reached out to all of the area hospitals, all of my contacts. Every single hospital in the metro New Orleans area, from East Jefferson to West Jefferson, desperately has a shortage and needed supplies.”
In less than a day, they launched the campaign: Supplies for Saints. You can go to the Facebook page by clicking here.
“And everybody is like, ‘The Saints? The New Orleans Saints?’ and it’s a great team and we love them but we love these workers, these men and women, nurses and doctors in our community. What they are doing is risking their lives and their family’s lives,” says Rovetto.
The first donation came from New Orleans Childrens Dental Center, where doctors Kellie Axelrad, Claudia Cavallino and Nicole Boxberger were more than happy to help the cause. In fact, they continued to spread the word, and got the entire Louisiana Dental Association involved. Dr. Axelrad is the dentist who cares for Rovetto’s two children. The team donated two boxes of masks to East Jefferson Hospital.
The women hope their effort will go global. They are putting out the word to offices of any kind that might have supplies stored away. With so many offices closed, places such as nail salons, veterinarian offices, dermatology centers, even school science labs could provide much-needed gloves, masks and disposable gowns.
“During a time of crisis, doing something for others is the best that you can do. It is the thing that is keeping me sane right now. If all of us can do for others, I think we can get through this,” says Seymour.
These proactive women are proof that if many people take small steps in the right direction, it can make a big difference for the greater good.