Paul Giuffre

Hi there! My name is Heather, I’m filling out this form for my dad, Paul. My dad used to be a police officer/firefighter/paramedic, but went back to school at age 40 to become a nurse. He is currently an RN at the VA hospital in Northport on Long Island. He has been working in their oncology department for a few years, giving cancer patients chemo, but when the pandemic struck, he answered the call and volunteered to help out with COVID19 patients despite potentially being at risk himself. He’s currently working in the “garage” which is the receiving area for those suspected of having COVID19, examining each patient and getting those in more serious condition to the ER. As you can imagine, folks are scared, so it’s a lot of calming down patients and their families as well. On his shift, he’s the only one working in the garage. Outside of work, he is a huge history buff, especially around American history. Ask him anything about any of the presidents and he will know it! He’s also learning bass guitar and trying to learn Spanish through Duolingo. But his greatest joy of all is being a dad to me and my two brothers—he is constantly bragging about us so it’s nice to brag about him for a change. He’s our hero.

Currently, they are reusing the same N95 masks for multiple days at a time. They’re also wearing the same gown all day, which could spread the disease to other patients. Some are bringing in N95s from home, but they are running out. This request is not just for him, a nurse who is seeing nothing but suspected COVID19 patients all day, but also to share with his colleagues in the ER and on the COVID-specific floor. In the instance that regular Long Island hospitals fill up, non veteran patients may be sent to the VA as well.

N95s and their equivalents (KN95s are fine) are the biggest need. Another huge need is hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes, as well as gowns and face shields.

Thank you for any donations you can make! I’m just trying to keep my dad, his colleagues, and the veterans that they treat safe