New Yorkers who are blind provide essential products to support hospital systems and health care employees across New York
The New York State Preferred Source Program for New Yorkers Who Are Blind (NYSPSP) is recognizing National Hospital Week and the hospitals, health systems, and health care professionals who work tirelessly to help their communities. The obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic this past year have tested hospitals and pushed health care workers to extraordinary limits. During these challenging times, NYSPSP stepped up to keep hospitals and staff stocked with the equipment and supplies they needed to safely continue working to support and save others.
NYSPSP, a New York State initiative, creates and sustains employment opportunities for New Yorkers who are blind through the purchases of various products and services from New York government for various products and services.
Each day, New Yorkers who are blind working at NYSPSP affiliated nonprofit agencies produce and deliver thousands of critical products that support New York’s hospitals and health care employees. This dedicated group of New Yorkers who are blind provide personal protective equipment (PPE) such as exam gloves, masks, and face shields, as well as cleaning products, including mops, sponges, wipes, disinfectants, hand sanitizer, and more. New Yorkers who are blind are proud to supply these essential products to support hospitals and health care professionals.
“Our hospital and health care employees are some of the best in the world and they have performed heroically to support their communities, especially in response to COVID-19,” said NYSPSP Interim Executive Director Tim Fiori. “In the face of one of the most challenging crises in our lifetime, New Yorkers who are blind continue to step up to supply critical products and services to the public sector organizations on the front lines of this pandemic.”
Numerous New York hospital systems procure products through the NYSPSP program to support employment for New Yorkers who are blind. Some of the top hospital systems working with NYSPSP include Stony Brook University Hospital, State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical University, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Nassau County Medical Center, Helen Hayes Hospital, and NYC Health + Hospitals.
Employees at NYSPSP affiliated agencies have responded to the unprecedented supply demands from New York hospital systems in a variety of ways:
- Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) in Utica, dramatically increased capacity to handle the exploding demand for exam gloves and cleaning supplies.
- Alphapointe in Queens provides janitorial and medical supplies.
- The Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany (NABA) provides cleaning solutions and various maintenance supplies such wipes, lighting, and uniforms.
- The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI)-Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, in Rochester, fulfills office and laundry supplies.
- VIA in Buffalo, provides medical accessories and maintenance and operations supplies.
- Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment (AVRE) in Binghamton, provides critically needed batteries and cleaning supplies.
- The Southern Tier Association for the Visually Impaired (STAVI) in Elmira, has supplied millions of disposable face masks to organizations in need.
NYSPSP and its affiliated agencies continue to be reliable providers of products and services in response to statewide crises. From natural disaster to humanitarian crises to COVID-19, New Yorkers who are blind working in NYSPSP affiliated agencies are committed to serving state and local governments, hospital organizations, and first responders across the Empire State in times of need.
“No matter what the challenge, New Yorkers who are blind continue to show up and support our hospitals and health care professionals and we want to thank them in joining us in the proud fight to be New York tough,” said Fiori.
Learn more about NYSPSP at http://www.nyspsp.org.