SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Amid a shortage of critical equipment frontline medical workers need amid the new coronavirus outbreak, hospitals throughout the Bay Area and beyond are accepting donations from the public.



Hospitals are facing a shortage of masks, gowns and face shields, among other critical supplies, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. The report described the need as "dire," noting some hospitals are running out of supplies at the most inopportune of times. COVID-19 illnesses are expected to spike in the coming weeks and months.

Nurses facing a shortage of mask have been told to clean them with alcohol or other cleaning products and reuse them between uses, and doctors are preparing to use makeshift masks made from T-shirts or pillowcases, the report said. In San Francisco, UCSF is accepting donations seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the following locations:

UCSF Mount Zion Hospital, 1600 Divisadero Street (semicircle driveway) and UCSF Mission Center Building (entrance in the parking lot on Harrison at 15th Streets). UCSF is only accepting items on a list shown on this link.

Valley Medical Center Foundation, which raises funds in support of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center's three hospitals and 11 clinics in the South Bay is accepting medical supplies at 2400 Clove Drive, San Jose, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A complete list of items the foundation is accepting is shown on its website.