Over 6 million masks delivered to 450 essential California Life Sciences Companies
SAN DIEGO & SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–California Life Sciences Association (CLSA), the trade association representing California’s life sciences sector, today announced that it has been coordinating with the Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) for the State of California to help essential life sciences companies obtain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The program, coordinated through Cal OES, matches up companies and organizations in need of supplies and helps deliver those products to them. The supplies include masks and hand sanitizer products designed to facilitate the full re-opening of the economy and a return to the workplace for companies that curtailed some of their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic or are unable to obtain PPE on the open market due to high demand.
CLSA has been working very closely with Governor Newsom’s office since the beginning of the pandemic, helping to coordinate state and local responses such as orders that impacted life sciences companies and ensuring that those deemed essential could continue operations in ways that minimized the impact on life saving therapies and devices, critical early stage research, and supply chain logistics.
“At the core of our organizational mission is the duty to protect the life sciences ecosystem. It became very clear that as the economy started to re-open, access to PPE could be limited due to low supply and high demand,” said Mike Guerra, President & CEO of CLSA. “It is incredibly rewarding for us to have partnered with OES to help over 450 companies and almost 210,000 of their employees get the necessary PPE to safely return to worksites.”
OES has been distributing PPE acquired by the state as an early response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have partnered with trade associations and other organizations to coordinate delivery to those most in need. CLSA announced the availability of the program via social media and direct communications to California based companies, regardless of their status as CLSA members, ten days ago. Responses were immediate. OES supplies are designed for a two-week period, and the calculation is based on number of employees. Companies with more than 50 employees were shipped supplies directly through OES. Smaller companies will be picking up supplies from CLSA offices in San Diego and South San Francisco on Thursday and Friday of this week. Future orders, again parsed out in two-week increments, will be processed by OES while supplies last.
The overwhelming response from life sciences companies has been very positive, showing deep appreciation for the state’s efforts to provide supplies, and for assistance navigating the complicated process of pandemic induced procurement.
“I just want to say thank you! We are a small company working on COVID therapy and diagnostics. We were desperate for supplies – the process has been easy with excellent communication along the way! In my view a much needed service!” said Chris Meda, of IncellDX, a San Diego based single cell diagnostic company committed to advancing Precision Medicine by offering transformative diagnostic and prognostic clinical patient information based on an innovative technology platform that enables simultaneous cell classification and single cell analysis of proteomic and genomic biomarkers.
California’s life sciences sector, comprised of medical tech, biotech, and biopharmaceutical companies and research organizations is a critical piece of California’s economy, directly employing almost 400,000 Californians. The availability of PPE through OES, and Governor Newsom’s recognition of life sciences companies as “essential” during the early phases of the pandemic are critical to the sector’s ability to propel California forward during the economic recovery.
CLSA is deeply appreciative of the partnership with both Governor Newsom and OES during these challenging times.
About California Life Sciences Association (CLSA)
California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) is the state’s largest and most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization. With offices in Sacramento, San Diego, South San Francisco, and Washington DC, CLSA works closely with industry, government, academia and others to shape public policy, improve access to innovative technologies and grow California’s life sciences economy. CLSA serves biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics companies, research universities and institutes, investors and service providers throughout the Golden State.
Visit CLSA at www.califesciences.org, and follow us on Twitter @CALifeSciences, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Contacts
Oliver Rocroi
Orocroi@califesciences.org
916-588-0965