As hospitals around America scramble for the supplies doctors and nurses need to treat coronavirus patients and protect themselves, Huntsville Hospital is already getting help from the city’s two major Chinese communities.

“Soon after we learned that they are running out of masks, gowns and goggles, I started fundraising for the medical supplies,” Stephen Lin said this week. Lin is the president of the Huntsville Chinese Association.

“In less than two weeks, we received $50,000 in donations from institutions and individuals,” Lin said. “We used the money to purchase much-needed supplies and give them to Huntsville Hospital, Decatur Morgan Hospital and the Madison police station.”

The group targeted masks, gloves, goggles and gowns for medical personnel. They knew those would be needed because they had heard about China’s earlier experience with lack of supplies. They say they wanted to repay the generosity and concern of Americans to their native country then and now.

“When the coronavirus started in December, the Chinese community and the American community over there were very supported, “said Yong Wang, director of the Confucius Institute at Alabama A&M University. “The U.S. government and companies sent personnel and experts to China to help the Chinese fight the disease.”

“When I walk on the street (in Huntsville), people always ask me, ‘How are you doing? How is your family doing?’” Wang said. “We all feel a very warm welcome, and the Chinese community really appreciates the support.”

Some supplies have been delivered, and some are on the way from China. “My colleagues and I at the Emergency Department are very grateful for the donations,” emergency room physician Dr. Jeannie Li said this week. “They offered us a lot of comfort in knowing that we have what we needed to not only take care of our patients but also protect ourselves.”

There are about 5,000 Asian people living in Huntsville, according to the U.S. Census. Some are students or visiting professors. Some were born in China but moved to America as children. Others found their way to the city because of its growing economy.

Lin worked at Huntsville Hospital as a chef during and after the 2011 tornadoes and said the feeling today is similar. “I know firsthand that doctors are the front line of the health crisis,” Lin said. “I understand the hardship they face.”

The Chinese national community in north Alabama had a head start helping here because it had already made donations and connections to help China, Dr. Yi Jia said. “They’re prepared already. They planned ahead,” he said. “When we asked for help, we got help right away.”

“I think we got lucky that they already had the channels, because they had sent a lot of support to China when China first started to get really bad,” Li said. “The connection was already there, and they were able to get on top of things and send us some supplies. Compared to other communities, we really got lucky on this one.”