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Rome Area Chamber receives COVID-19 grant from Excellus for PPE toolkits

Bill Guglielmo, left, Rome Area Chamber of Commerce president, recently received a donation for $10,000 to purchase PPE toolkits for local businesses from Eve Van de Wal, Excellus BCBS regional president. Rome area businesses were able to bring a copy of their business card to pick up PPE toolkits on Sept. 16 at the chamber’s office. (PHOTO CREDIT: ROME AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)

ROME — The Rome Area Chamber of Commerce recently received $10,000 in funding from health insurer Excellus BlueCross BlueShield to support the organization in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The chamber used the grant funding to purchase supplies such as hand sanitizer, cleaning products, face masks and shields, and to cover the cost of […]

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ROME — The Rome Area Chamber of Commerce recently received $10,000 in funding from health insurer Excellus BlueCross BlueShield to support the organization in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chamber used the grant funding to purchase supplies such as hand sanitizer, cleaning products, face masks and shields, and to cover the cost of printing CDC health and safety materials for inclusion in toolkits to be distributed to businesses in need that are reopening or have recently reopened after the COVID-19 shutdown.

As businesses reopen and resume operations while the potential for COVID-19 transmission continues to be a concern, the financial strain felt by many businesses from diminished consumer traffic and lost revenue is compounded by unanticipated costs of sanitization and cleaning supplies, protective gear for employees, and educational signage, the chamber explained in a release.

“The Rome Chamber welcomes the opportunity to work with Excellus to ensure that our businesses, professional firms, and organizations are adequately prepared to provide safe and productive environments for workers and the public,” said Bill Guglielmo, president of the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce, said.

As part of its community response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Excellus said it is providing this financial support to chambers across upstate New York to help businesses offset the costs of reopening.

The Rome Area Chamber has joined together with the Greater Utica and the Herkimer County chambers to coordinate their collective efforts to use the funds provided by Excellus. This collaboration allows for better pricing and coordinated purchasing of supplies for the PPE toolkits, the chamber contended. In all, the three chambers assembled 600 PPE toolkits for pick-up.

Rome–area businesses were able to bring a copy of their business card to pick up kits on Sept. 16 at the Rome Area Chamber office at 139 W. Dominick St.

Journal Staff