Bendigo's Spotlight store has donated 1000 metres of fabric to the Gowns for Doctors initiative, which has drawn nationwide attention after it was first reported in the Advertiser.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Spotlight Bendigo store manager Amy Hall says Spotlight stores across the country have offered a discount to customers who are sewing gowns.
"If customers purchase more than five metres of medium weight, 100 per cent cotton and say they are making gowns, they will receive a 50 per cent discount," Ms Hall said.
"We have already had quite a few customers coming in to purchase the fabric for gowns."
Gowns for Doctors was the brainchild of Dr Nicole Townsend from The GP Clinic in Lucan Street.
"Donated fabric from Spotlight will be able to make about 450 gowns," Dr Townsend said.
With her clinic down to its last few personal protective gowns, the hand sewn gowns were made to address a critical shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr Townsend says the community response to Gowns for Doctors, near and far, has been overwhelming.
"We have 150 gowns that we have distributed to our very eager sewing enthusiasts," Dr Townsend said.
"We sent our first few boxes of gowns out to regional Victorian practices in Charlton, Wedderburn and Kerang."
Practices not only receive the hand sewn gowns, but instructions on how to care for the gowns and a pattern to distribute in their local community so more gowns can be produced.
Victoria's peak advocacy body for the interests of rural doctors, the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria, donated $5000 to the Gowns for Doctors initiative.
Minister for Health Greg Hunt yesterday announced more than 11 million masks are on their way to healthcare workers, pharmacies, aged care facilities and Indigenous communities.
Primary health networks, which distribute to general practices, will receive 2.3 million masks.
Dr Townsend said The GP Clinic recently received a delivery of 100 surgical masks from the PHN.
"The surgical masks are single use only items and we will have those for our staff, at risk patients and those we have to send away for screening," she said.
To learn more about Gowns for Doctors, email gownsfordoctors@gmail.com
We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we want to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.