Nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse is going to Italy, the frontlines of an unprecedented worldwide pandemic, to bring medical supplies, assistance, and the gospel.
The World Health Organization recently declared the epicenter of the coronavirus lies in Europe. Italy has been one of the hardest-hit countries, with a growing threat of running out of supplies and support for current coronavirus patients.
Yesterday, Samaritan’s Purse sent their plane filled with 20 tons of medical equipment, including structures, tents, beds, monitors, ventilators, masks, pharmaceutical medications, and supplies for volunteers to the suffering country, Faithwire reports. The plane is also carrying a 68-bed emergency field hospital, eight intensive care beds and 60 inpatient beds.
About 60 medical specialists will also fly over and spend approximately 90 days in Northern Italy, though that time could change.
Dr. Elliott Tenpenny, the COVID-19 response manager for the international headquarters of Samaritan’s Purse, has worked closely with the Italian government to orchestrate the relief.
“They are overjoyed, honestly,” he said. “It’s been sort of shocking in the way they’ve responded so positively. The Italian people are a welcoming people and it’s very much been borne out by this. They’re incredibly excited and are contacting us at many different levels to express that excitement and their anticipation of this and just thanks that somebody from the international world outside their own country would come and help them in their time of need.”
In addition to medical needs, the Samaritan’s Purse team will also “support the Italian hospitals and people in the name of Christ” and attend to patients’ spiritual needs.
“As we always say to our staff, if you wait until the point that we’re deploying to start preparing spiritually, it’s too late,” Tenpenny said. “We expect our staff to have a strong faith and a strong walk with Christ in their own personal time on their own, so that when we call, they can answer that call.”
The nonprofit is also poised to help in the US, where more than 5,000 people have been diagnosed with the virus, should assistance be needed.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Saevich Mikalai
Mikaela Mathews is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas, TX. She was the editor of a local magazine and a contributing writer for the Galveston Daily News and Spirit Magazine.
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