The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and Skookum announced today the launch of the Carolinas Alliance COVID-19 Match Site. The two-state collaborative program is dedicated to matching the needs of the Carolinas’ healthcare providers, businesses and government organizations with manufacturers, vendors, suppliers and talent who can help deliver crucial supplies and Personal Protection Equipment. Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. is collaborating on this effort.
The site, found at carolinasalliance.org, allows manufacturers, healthcare providers, businesses and government organizations the ability to register free of charge to be added to the database. Users can then search for matches filtered by industry, region and product. The site was designed by software development company, Skookum.
The idea originated from Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. who identified the need to quickly and efficiently connect those manufacturing PPEs to those seeking supplies. When the CLT Alliance learned of Greater Winston-Salem, Inc.’s efforts, the organization saw a way to tap into its broad, 15-county network to make a real difference across North and South Carolina.
“We started with a small, local group of healthcare providers and manufacturers, and are thrilled to see this network expand across the Carolinas,” said Mark Owens, Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. President. “The ability to produce millions of units of PPE will allow us to reopen the economy safely and create supply chain connections that will outlast the pandemic.”
As North Carolina looks to partially reopen many businesses under phase two of Governor Roy Cooper’s plan this Friday, the site can help businesses get the supplies they need to operate safely.
The states leading hospital systems say the site can go a long way in helping to reduce COVID-19 cases and ultimately make the community safer for everyone.
“Throughout this pandemic, we have seen our communities come together to solve problems in unique and inspiring ways. This project taps into that spirit as our economy begins to re-emerge, helping businesses develop new innovations and new markets with other businesses who have new or existing unmet needs, all as a result of COVID-19. It’s neighbor helping neighbor across the region,” said Carol Lovin, Executive Vice President, Chief Integration Officer and System Chief of Staff, Atrium Health.
“I am pleased that both large and small businesses now have easy access to PPE so they can get back to work safely. At Novant Health we know how scarce these resources have been so it’s great to see so many manufacturers transform to support this supply need,” said Jesse Cureton, EVP & Chief Consumer Officer, Novant Health.
