ER worker launches campaign to get much-needed medical supplies to LA health care workers

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A local emergency room worker who faces the coronavirus crisis every day on the job is now trying to raise money to buy vital supplies for other health care workers.

Isaac Moorvitch, an EMT and ER worker, launched his personal campaign to help protect medical workers in Los Angeles after noticing a lack of supplies at his job. So he decided to take it into his own hands.

"Coming to you from the front lines here, where there's still no masks, very little Purrell, no head coverings, no booties," he said in a video message on his GoFundMe page.

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For now, Moorvitch is aiming to just get basic personal protective equipment, which he says isn't an easy task as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regularly updates what it recommends for protective gear.

"Every day this changes and then (you) realize, oh well yesterday I was only wearing this, now they're saying I need to wear that, or now they're saying we don't have enough so wear a scarf to work," he said.

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One of the key items he's looking for is a PAPR, also known as a powered air purifying respirator, a device that covers the whole neck and face. They cost anywhere from $515 to $2,000 each.

"This is like the basic, basic version but none of us have it," he said.

Moorvitch is hoping to raise $100,000 through the GoFundMe page, which has already raised more than $16,000.

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