One woman’s effort to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) to patients with kidney disease has snowballed into the creation of a new medical-supplies-distribution company serving businesses across B.C. – Personal Protect Solutions.
Hailey Cheema grew up in Mission, BC and she has been an advocate for kidney disease patients for the past 8 years. In June 2019, Hailey was appointed as a National Board of Director for the National Kidney Foundation of Canada.
“As we donated [PPE] in a request we had to one of the care homes in Burnaby, they asked, ‘Do you have a supplier, or are you guys going to be distributing?'” Cheema said. “So I started reading into the specifications, manufacturers, and what Canadian licensing requirements were required.”
Cheema applied for a Medical Device Establishment Licence (MDEL), was approved by Health Canada, and is now sourcing high-grade PPE for over 50 clients across B.C over the past month.
Cheema serves as a Health IT Business Analyst for the Provincial Health Services Authority, but her part-time gig has landed her as a key distributor of PPE for the BC Beauty Council after making connections in the industry prior to the reopening phase.
“The last couple weeks have been quite busy as we have been able to help support and supply countless businesses planning to re-open and propose a WorkSafe BC plan,” Cheema said. “I have enjoyed being able to play a role in the sourcing, quality control, and distribution of these PPE products for my community.”
“I’ve come from a primarily population health focused background in regards to my academics in the SFU Health Sciences Program, research opportunities in the space of Mental Health, and my experiences over the years along BC renal and BC transplant patients.”
Cheema is now working with the Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce to help supply local businesses with PPE after a survey was conducted asking what types of PPE are most needed. Suppliers for the city are going to be posted next week, Cheema said.
She said that so far, she’s been able to supply the Mission Cedars Care Home, several physiotherapy practices, a fitness centre and personal training companies, and numerous hair and beauty aestheticians and salons.
Cheema’s company, Personal Protect Solutions, is also able to source Health Canada-approved face shields, gloves, and automatic soap dispensers.
“We have someone going into the factories [for inspections] where the PPE is being manufactured ensuring the suppliers have been on an approved list and have complied with the most recent customs clearance requirements. This is why we were able to be efficient about applying for the MDEL from Health Canada.”
