By: Manuel Ocaño / Special for Real America News
Aldo Roldán, a small businessman from Pico Rivera, said that a program in Los Angeles County that provides hygiene items for COVID – 19 at no cost, it has helped him keep his work going.
“About a month ago, I received an email in which they reported about that program and in the same message came a link to sign up. I registered and they sent me instructions to pick up the items ”, said the insurance agent to Real America News.
Account that they gave him a supply of medium bottles of gel disinfectant, several boxes of masks and transparent masks.
Due to sanitary restrictions, “we only allow a limited number of clients to be inside the office, but my colleagues and I We have to offer the services indoors, so the staff they gave me was very useful. ”
During working hours, the staff maintains a recommended distance to prevent potential contagions, but there are areas that are shared and hygiene articles for protection “allow us to work with more confidence and that is reflected in customer service,” says Roldán.
Talk that part of the work is done online, especially renewal and changes of policies, but that some clients prefer to do the paperwork in person and the hygiene equipment is also useful for them.
“Part of our clientele is older adults, who generally do not use or do not like to use tools technological , so having clean offices, masks and gels available helps to keep the business going. ”
Although it is not very usual, it is also the case of people who forget the mask in the vehicle or even at home, and then the personnel of the insurance agency One City Insurance Agency are told It helps a lot to have these items available.
After checking the advantages of the program, the insurance agent has informed other small businessmen of Pico Rivera, even some of them have forwarded the mail they received, so that they can also enroll. ”
“I have no doubt that they have signed up because it is a program that offers many benefits,” he says.
Roldán estimates that the supply of items has lasted just over a month, although the program estimated that it would only be for 30 days.
“It is a very useful program because small businesses are going through a very difficult period, and with this help we can at least maintain hygiene… That benefits us all, the employees in the office and the clients ”, he says.
Program data
The agency where Roldán works is only one of hundreds who have benefited n the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE Unite) program.
In the free project, the distribution of equipment is carried out through an association of the Office of Public Affairs Los Angeles County Commercial and Consumer Affairs (WDACS), along with public and private sector organizations, to offer items throughout Los Angeles County that keep them protected from COVID – 19.
The Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC) also participates in the Los Angeles area ), an institution that has served South Los Angeles businesses for over 30 years, and as representative of the private initiative, the company Logisticom Inc.
Small entrepreneurs who enroll in the program receive free endowments of disinfectant gel and easy protectors or transparent masks.
The amount of equipment that is delivered to each business varies, according to the number of employees in the small business, but always under a calculation to cover a whole month, according to the information of the program.
It is also added that the companies that benefit from PPE Unite have fewer than 100 employees. Free supply is for one time only, while supplies last, but The program has a good number of equipment.
According to official information, the program is “a large-scale effort that began with 5.5 million units of PPE Unite , which have been made available to small businesses in California. ”
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) also participates in the program in collaboration with the Office California Small Business Advocacy (CalOSBA).
The plan seeks to provide support to small businesses “during this period or critical in which they are reopening their doors and bringing their employees back to work. ”
Specifically
To enroll in the PPE Unite program and receive protective equipment for your small businesses you can visit the page, which has information in Spanish, at: es.ppeunite.org
