Rochester Reporter

Monroe County recently issued the following announcement.

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today announced Monroe County and the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency will distribute more than 400 kits containing personal protective equipment to essential minority and women-owned business in high-needs neighborhoods in the City of Rochester.

The kits were made possible by a $40,000 grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and prepared for distribution by Regional Distributors, Inc. on Mt. Read Boulevard. Distribution began today and will be complete in coming days.

“As we face a recurring surge of COVID-19 cases, it’s imperative that we get personal protective equipment in the hands of our small business owners, especially in neighborhoods where we see disproportionate infections and mortality,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “We want to ensure that essential retail and other businesses have the tools they need to better serve their customers and keep our neighborhoods safe. I am grateful to Excellus BCBS for their generous grant, and to Regional Distributors for stepping up to help us with this important initiative.”

The program targeted businesses in the 14605, 14606, 14608, 14609, 14611, 14613, 14619 and 14621 zip codes. University of Rochester Medical Center equipped the kits with face shields.

“Our health plan is joining with Monroe County because this pandemic has put many local small businesses at risk,” said Excellus BCBS President and CEO-elect James Reed. “As we brace for another round of COVID-19 cases, it is important for our community’s businesses to have the personal protection equipment they need to safely stay open and continue serving their customers.”

The kits were distributed today (December 5, 2020) to businesses identified by the county with assistance from City of Rochester Neighborhood Service Center staff. Each package contains the following:

• 1 Digital Thermometer
• 100 face masks
• 3 KN95 face masks
• 3 Face shields
• 3 cans of disinfectant spray
• 3 rolls of paper towels
• 4 16-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer
• A packet of instruction materials and educational flyers about COVID-19

The donation by Excellus BCBS to COMIDA is part of the company’s comprehensive community response to the pandemic and its ongoing impact on the upstate New York economy. Similar donations were made in Central New York and the Southern Tier. The company has also provided $600,000 in financial support for local food banks and pantries throughout upstate New York. In total, the health plan has committed to spend more than $162 million this year to help businesses, health care providers and members deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Original source can be found here.