Crowdfunding campaign launched for nurses at Lynn Valley Care Home

A GoFundMe launched for nurses at the Lynn Valley Care Centre has raised thousands of dollars.

The fundraiser was launched on Wednesday and explains that “over 40 nurses across the Lower Mainland have offered to provide extra help at North Vancouver’s Lynn Valley Care Centre.

The centre was struck with an outbreak of COVID-19 cases after a health care worker tested positive as British Columbia’s 21st case.

The nurses, however, have asked to be provided with N95 masks as protection while on duty.

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David Wong, a pharmacist in Vancouver, organized the GoFundMe with five other individuals. He writes that he’s “assembled a team called ‘The Covid-19 Task Force’ to assist during the crisis.”

The fundraiser’s goal is to provide 2,000 N95 masks to donate to the nurses, as well as any other hospitals that are in need of equipment.

“This is the hardest-hit area in BC with most of the deaths,” says Wong. “We hope by providing these nurses with the masks they have requested, they are able to offer immediate care for the seniors at Lynn Vally Care Centre.”

Over the course of 24 hours, the fundraiser already met its goal, raising more than $8,000.

On Wednesday, BC Health Officers announced 42 new cases, bringing the total number in the province to 659. The outbreak has since spread to a number of other care homes including Hollyburn, Delta View, Dufferin, Little Mountain, Evergreen Heights, and Haro Park.