Loma Linda University Health

Rachelle Bussell, senior vice president for Advancement, extends her gratefulness for the lifesaving protective equipment.

ADRA Donates Thousands of Personal Protective Equipment Items to Frontline Healthcare Workers

ADRA, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and serves in 118 countries. It works to empower communities and change lives around the globe by providing sustainable community development and disaster relief.

“Time is life, and getting essential workers proper lifesaving resources during these uncharted times is critical,” said Michael Kruger, ADRA’s president. “The staff at Loma Linda University Health are putting their lives on the line for as many people as possible, but they need to be equipped with reliable gear to continue providing top-notch care. We are honored that Loma Linda thought of us, and we’re proud to help provide immediate assistance where it’s needed most.”

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) donated more than 45,000 items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to Loma Linda University Health to aid frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By DonaJayne Potts

Securing PPE has been a lingering challenge as hospitals and clinics around the nation face supply chain shortages, in part due to medical supply rationing fueled by the pandemic.

“One often does not recognize the value of a family until a need arises,” said Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, president of Loma Linda University Health. “This has been the situation for Loma Linda University Health over the past month as we have faced the COVID-19 pandemic with many possibly positive patients arriving to our hospitals and clinics. We are deeply grateful to ADRA, our sister organization in service, for providing a large amount of personal protective equipment to protect our employees during this critical time.”

The nearly 3,000-pound shipment included six pallets of N95 masks, face shields, gloves, and isolation gowns, among others—arriving within days of the request.

“Our highest priority will always be the health and safety of our patients, employees, students, and community,” said Rachelle Bussell, RN, MA, CFRE, senior vice president for Advancement at Loma Linda University Health. “This gift will help us to provide lifesaving protection—a necessity during one of the most urgent public health crises in generations.”

See the latest news and Health & Wellness stories from Loma Linda University Health at news.llu.edu.

Coronavirus and Reusable Grocery Bags: Use Them or Pitch Them?

Supermarkets across the United States are asking shoppers to leave their reusable grocery bags at home amid the COVID-19 outbreak. But does discontinuing the use of these bags actually reduce risk?

Ryan Sinclair, PhD, MPH, associate professor at Loma Linda University School of Public Health, says his research confirms that reusable grocery bags, when not properly disinfected, are carriers for both bacteria, including E. coli, and viruses—norovirus and coronavirus.

Sinclair and his research team analyzed reusable bags shoppers brought to grocery stores and found bacteria in 99% of reusable bags tested and E. coli in 8%. Findings were first published in Food Protection Trends in 2011.

To reduce risk of possible bacterial and virus contamination, Sinclair asks shoppers to consider the following:

Don’t use reusable grocery bags during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Sinclair says supermarkets are a prime location where food, the public, and pathogens can meet. In a 2018 study published by the Journal of Environmental Health, Sinclair and his research team found that reusable bags are not only highly likely to be contaminated but are also highly likely to transfer pathogens to store employees and shoppers, particularly at high-contact points like check-out conveyors, food scanners, and grocery carts.

“Unless reusable bags are sanitized regularly—by washing with a disinfectant soap and high-temperature water in the case of cloth bags and

By DonaJayne Potts

wiping non-porous slick plastic models with a hospital-grade disinfectant— they present a significant public health risk,” Sinclair says.

Leave your leather purse at home, too.

Think about what you do with your purse at the grocery store. It typically gets placed in the shopping cart until it is set down on the payment counter at checkout. Sinclair says these two surfaces—where high volumes of other shoppers touch—make it easy for viruses to spread from person to person.

“Before grocery shopping, consider transferring your purse contents to a washable bag to allow for proper sanitization when you return home,” Sinclair says. “Bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and ammonia-based cleaners are among the best for sanitizing surfaces; however, they can damage, lighten, or cause cracking on materials like purse leather.”

After the outbreak, switch to cotton or canvas shopping totes.

While polypropylene bags are one of the most common types of reusable bags sold at grocery chains, they are difficult to disinfect. Made from a more durable plastic than lightweight, singleuse plastic bags, their construction material prevents proper sterilization with heat.

“Spraying bags with a disinfectant doesn’t reach the germs that are lodged in the crevices or accumulated on the handles,” Sinclair says. “Don’t purchase bags you cannot wash or dry on high heat; the best and easiest to use are totes made from natural fibers, like cotton or canvas.”

“Leaking milk, poultry juice, and unwashed fruit can cross-contaminate other foods,” Sinclair adds. “Designate separate bags for specific food items to limit germ breeding grounds.”

The best way to disinfect bags

What’s the best way to disinfect reusable grocery bags? Sinclair recommends washing bags before and after trips to the market using these methods: • Launder cotton or canvas totes in a washing machine on a high-heat setting and add bleach or a disinfectant containing sodium percarbonate like Oxi Clean™. • Dry totes on the highest dryer setting. Or use sunshine to sanitize: turn washed bags inside-out and place them outside in direct sunlight to dry for at least an hour; turn right-side out and repeat. “Ultra-violet light that occurs naturally from sunlight is effective at killing 99.9% of pathogens like viruses and bacteria,” Sinclair says.

Healthy grocery hygiene habits:

• Always wash your hands before and after grocery shopping. • Sanitize shopping cart baskets and handles using disinfecting wipes or sprays. • Once home, place grocery bags on a surface that can be disinfected after your groceries have been unloaded and immediately place plastic bags in the recycle bin. • Keep in mind that disinfectants must stay on a surface for a specific amount of time to be effective. It also depends on the disinfectant. The common ammonia-based grocery cart wipes need at least four minutes.