Missing Protective Gowns Have Been Found

DANVERS — A wayward shipment of about 9,500 gowns intended to protect Northeast Arc and 15 other organizations' workers and their clients during the coronavirus pandemic has been found stuck in customs.

Tim Brown, Northeast Arc's director of innovation and strategy, said 6,000 gowns were shipped out Tuesday "and are on the road." Another 3,500 gowns were still in customs, he said.

The gowns were purchased from a promotional marketing company in China.

Northeast Arc CEO Jo Ann Simons, whose agency placed the $87,000 order for 16 organizations including hers, said over the weekend the shipment arrived at customs in Long Beach, California, about 2 1/2 weeks ago, then disappeared.

Simons said the Danvers-based nonprofit, which works with those with intellectual and physical disabilities, did not know where it went.

The shipment was found thanks to staff in U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton's office, which noticed a Facebook post about the missing shipment on Friday. Moulton's staff worked through the congressional liaison with the Customs and Border Protection agency to locate it.

"I'm glad that we could help Northeast Arc locate this shipment," said the Salem Democrat, "and I'm thankful that the Customs and Border Protection Congressional Liaison quickly gave Northeast Arc clarity.

"Nonprofits and states in the richest country on Earth should be focused on the response to coronavirus," Moulton said, "not competing against each other in the global marketplace for protective equipment. They're in this position because the president has failed to lead. He should fully use the Defense Production Act to produce PPE — and he should do it right now."

Northeast Arc needs the gowns because it works with 130 people with disabilities in 24-hour residential programs, and with another 120 individuals who live independently with nursing staff going into their homes. Bridgwell of Peabody was also among the agencies that were part of the gown order.

Brown said in a prior interview that a tracking number for the missing gowns had even disappeared from the system. So Northeast Arc set about trying to order more.

"It's a huge amount of money — money we don't have," Brown said of the cost of the gowns. "To have it disappear was extremely frustrating."

They worked all weekend trying to locate more gowns, he said, assuming the prior shipment was "gone for good." But, as it turns out, those gowns are just a couple of weeks away, so he is now working to cancel this new order.

"It kind of ties into how crazy the whole environment we are living and working is," Brown said.

According to Moulton's spokesman, Tim Biba, various staffers in both his Salem and Washington, D.C., offices took the shipping information and got to work over the weekend through Monday.

Over the weekend, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency also secured similar gear to protect workers, Brown said. 

Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken and state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr of Gloucester also saw the post and reached out to Gov. Charlie Baker's office to arrange for replacement gowns from MEMA, Brown said.