As stay-at-home orders are lifted and folks are getting back into the public more frequently, perhaps now is when it’s most vital for care providers to have personal protective equipment, such as facemasks, notes Mike Strouse.
Strouse is chief executive officer with Goodlife Innovations, formerly Community Living Opportunities (CLO), which works locally with adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
At first, Goodlife clients were well-equipped to handle social distancing and quarantine-style measures, Strouse explained, because most lived in small homes.
“We’re designed well to shelter in place,” he said.
But now those disabled folks are among those most at risk as restrictions ease up.
“That’s where PPE is critically important,” Strouse said.
Enter Sunflower Health Plan, which partners with physicians, specialists, hospitals and other providers for Medicaid recipients.
On Wednesday, Sunflower delivered more than 350 boxes of protective facemasks — 17,000 in all — to the Goodlife office in Iola.
Goodlife has agreed to serve as a distribution point for the masks to be delivered to care providers affiliated with Sunflower.
“It’s here at a great time,” Strouse said. “This is when we need it most.”
Vendors are asked to call Goodlife ahead of time to schedule pickups during normal business hours.
“What we’re seeing with our suppliers is that they would only take orders in very large bulk quantities,” explained Stephanie Rasmussen, vice president of long-term services with Sunflower. “And we know we have providers who can’t afford to order in those amounts. They have limited access to what they need to keep people safe.”
Rasmussen and Strouse were among the dignitaries who gathered Wednesday for the delivery of the facemasks to the Iola site. Rep. Kent Thompson was on hand as well.
“We really appreciate Goodlife and the other providers who have partnered with us to get the masks distributed to the providers and the individual members who really need them,” Rasmussen said.
“We all work well together,” Strouse replied. “We’re just the place where everybody can come.”
Recipients include nursing facilities and in-home service providers for elderly or disabled, as well as community mental health centers.
