As the virus outbreak hit the United States, medical supplies many people with disabilities and health conditions use every day suddenly became unavailable. Gloves have been one of the most critical and unexpected shortages. Non-latex gloves, usually nitrile gloves, are a staple in the households of nearly all people with chronic conditions. Gloves are essential for people with disabilities and our home nurses, personal care attendants, and home health aides.
Why are gloves so important?
People with disabilities and chronic illness often require assistance with medical or personal care that involves contact with bodily fluids such as mucus, blood, urine, and feces. We may need help with injections or blood draws, or we may need to ensure sterile conditions while performing procedures on ourselves. Without access to gloves, we are at risk of contracting and transmitting all kinds of infections.
The caregivers who assist those with health conditions can range from family and friends to paid staff such as direct support workers, home health aides, visiting nurses, etc. If we employ health care workers privately or through a consumer-directed Medicaid program, we are responsible for providing them with personal protective equipment (PPE) — including and especially gloves.
When Amazon blocked sales of certain medical supplies to the public, most non-latex gloves were suddenly no longer available, even to longtime customers with Subscribe and Save orders. Access to disposable nitrile gloves is essential, as latex is a common allergen for people with certain health conditions, including spina bifida. This decision directly endangered people with disabilities and home health care workers, and inspired the creation of Pandemic Pal. We have a list of stores where you can buy gloves right now.
Disclaimer: Pandemic Pal does not sell the products listed below, we are simply providing a service to make them easier to find. While gloves are proven to help protect health care workers and patients from infection, we cannot guarantee the quality or effectiveness of any specific product or vendor. Therefore, we make no claims that any products listed on our site will mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose or cure any disease or health condition. This page contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Learn more.
Gloves In Stock
This page is automatically updated 3 times per day.
Amazon
Although they initially blocked sales of many non-latex gloves, you can now find nitrile and vinyl gloves on Amazon.
Don’t see what you need on this list?
eBay
eBay is one of the best places to find nitrile gloves right now.
Don’t see what you need on this list?
Walmart and Target
Walmart has nitrile gloves in stock fairly regularly.
REI
The outdoor store REI has some nitrile gloves available.
Other Stores
More places to buy non-latex gloves.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash