CLINTON - Louisianans respond to a call for help from East Feliciana Parish, where healthcare workers and first responders are running extremely low on personal protective equipment (PPE).

"This is something we've never been through in our lifetime and we're doing the best we can," says East Feliciana Coroner, Dr. Ewell Bickham.

Dr. Bickham and the director of the parish's Office of Homeland Security reached out to every agency in the state asking for help and donations of PPE's.  

"We got a phone call the very next morning from a gentleman with Gator Millworks in Denham Springs, he had some face shields he wanted to donate," Dr. Bickham said.

The owner of Gator Millworks, located in Livingston Parish, donated 100 face shields for healthcare workers in East Feliciana.

Dr. Bickham says small town medical and emergency workers were running so low on protective gear, that a lot of healthcare workers have to reuse the same face mask for several days. The donations East Feliciana received were desperately needed said the coroner. 

"I was touched, and a little surprised, It makes me appreciate that there are people out there that care about our community," Dr. Bickham said.

Even though help is arriving for these rural communities the coroner is still concerned that supplies won't last.