As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, primetime TV’s fake doctors and nurses are coming to the rescue with real medical supplies. More and more health-care workers across the country are reporting that they don’t have essential protective gear — the masks, gloves, and gowns they need to treat COVID-19 patients without risk of infecting themselves — so medical dramas like ABC’s Station 19 and Fox’s The Resident are donating what they normally use as props to aid medical professionals. “At Station 19, we were lucky enough to have about 300 of the coveted N95 masks, which we donated to our local fire station,” said executive producer Krista Vernoff. “We are all overwhelmed with gratitude for our health-care workers during this incredibly difficult time, and in addition to these donations, we are doing our part to help them by staying home.”
The Resident donated items such as surgical gloves, surgical gowns, booties, and protective headgear to Georgia’s Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
ABC’s The Good Doctor and Grey’s Anatomy are also looking for places to donate their supplies. The Good Doctor is working with the local Canadian government to figure out where the needs are in Vancouver. Grey’s Anatomy is looking for a facility in Los Angeles to donate its back stock of gowns and gloves, according to Vernoff.
Update, March 22: Other television shows, both medical and non-medical, have also begun donating their medical supplies to hospitals. These include Pose, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. The Chicago Tribute reports that the trio of city-adjacent shows will be unloading their mask and glove supply to local hospitals, while on Instagram, Pose showrunner Ryan Murphy confirmed Mount Sinai will be receiving all of the show’s prop supplies. “Let’s all keep giving when and where and how we can,” he added.
