The Quakes and Wells Fargo are humbled and inspired by the amazing work of our frontline communities and neighbors in this time of crisis. Each week, we’ll be featuring and highlighting the work of one fantastic neighborhood hero, showcasing the great work they are doing and the organizations our community can rally around.
Additionally, a donation will be made to an organization or community project on behalf of each week’s hero. This week we will be donating to Adopt A Hero.
After becoming a physician, Dr. Benjamin Wang saw a need to make mechanical ventilation safer for patients. He discovered that breathing tubes caused an infection called VAP (Ventilator Associated Pneumonia), a deadly type of bacterial infection that harms vulnerable ICU patients on mechanical ventilation.
In 2015, Dr. Wang founded NeVap, which stands for Never Ventilator Associated Pneumonia. NeVap’s sole mission is to create impactful medical devices to save lives and since its founding, NeVap has developed a new FDA cleared breathing tube designed to prevent VAP and get patients out of the hospital as soon as possible.
When the COVID-19 outbreak started, Dr. Wang pitched his product to Ms. Maria Reyes of Stanford University, who immediately foresaw the healthcare issues in Mexico. Mexico has a population of roughly 200 million people and only 7,000 ventilators. Together they created Adopt A Hero, an organization dedicated to provide supplies to medical personnel in Mexico.
NeVap has donated breathing tubes valued at over $200,000 to aid Mexican healthcare workers in areas where COVID-19 is surging. Dr. Wang and Ms. Reyes believe this donation has already prevented thousands of infections, both to patients and frontline hospital workers.
Ms. Reyes reports, “With NeVap’s donation, patients don’t get VAP and are able to leave the hospitals sooner, which translates into more beds, ventilators, and medications to take care of others.”
“We’re hearing reports that our tubes are also being used to save the lives of doctors and nurses who are also getting sick,” says Dr. Wang.
Since NeVap’s initial donation, requests have continued to come in and other organizations have flocked to help fill the need. The NeVap team continues to make donations and support local and Mexican healthcare workers.
This San Jose based company is making a difference. Dr. Wang assures us that “Together, we’ll beat COVID-19.”
For more information on NeVap and their breathing tubes, click here. To learn more about Adopt A Hero, click here.
