Orange County Executive Neuhaus Accepts 10k Surgical Masks

GOSHEN – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus accepted 10,000 surgical masks to be utilized by the County during its fight against COVID-19 at the County’s Emergency Services Center. The donations came from the American Chinese United Care (ACUC) Alliance.

The ACUC donated an additional 5,000 surgical masks to both Assemblyman Colin Schmitt and Assemblyman Karl Brabenec, and a supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Orange Regional Medical Center (ORMC) in Middletown.

Schmitt’s wife, Nikki, Brabenec and ORMC’s Chief Operating Officer, Brian Tew, joined Neuhaus to accept the PPE.

“This generous donation from the ACUC will provide important PPE to our first responders and healthcare workers,” Neuhaus said. “We will continue to advocate for the men and women on the frontlines battling COVID-19. Our goal is to provide this equipment to the people who need it most and the County thanks the ACUC for their generous donation during this crucial time.”

Neuhaus said that the County’s surgical masks will be distributed by the County’s Division of Emergency Management to first responders, medical facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and assisted living facilities to help address their needs and support their functional operations. The County’s Emergency Operations Center was activated in response to the COVID-19 outbreak on Thursday, March 5th and has remained fully-staffed every day since, which is its longest ongoing emergency response operation since it opened in 2008.

The ACUC is a tri-state coalition made up of more than 100 Chinese American and overseas Chinese organizations. Members of the ACUC include charitable entities, businesses, alumni associations and other Chinese cultural, religious, and professional groups and individuals.

The ACUC is committed to supporting first responders and medical personnel by raising funds and collecting much needed PPE for rapid distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the ACUC has contributed more than $2 million to fighting the disease with funding and PPE donations.

“I want to thank the American Chinese United Care (ACUC) Alliance for their generosity during this great time of need in our communities,” said Schmitt, who is on deployment with the Army National Guard in Orange County. “The COVID-19 crisis has placed unprecedented demand on our healthcare workers and front line responders and we must ensure they have all the equipment they need to respond to and defeat this pandemic. I thank ACUC for helping restock PPE supply for our Hudson Valley front lines heroes.”