New York’s patron saint of PPE went $600,000 in debt to outfit workers — and hospitals keep turning her down

There was nothing but navy, teal and baby blue all the way down the block, as hospital workers in layers of protective gear streamed into a line that captured the attention of three police cars.

They were headed to an open box truck with a big sign taped to the side: “Show your hospital ID: Get free PPEs.”

Some wanted to know whom to thank, and they’d inevitably be waved over to a slight, blond woman named Rhonda Roland Shearer. Just as she had done after 9/11, distributing millions of dollars in supplies to workers at Ground Zero that she’d mobilized herself, Shearer was in the thick of things ­— having once again leveraged a substantial line of credit to do so.

“This is to save the skin behind your ears!” she said, handing out curious strips of plastic notches, similar to barrettes, that hold the loops of surgical masks.

More From The Washington Post (subscription required):