‘Matter of life or death.’ Lexington asks businesses for masks, gowns for hospitals
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton urged the business community Monday to donate masks, gowns and respirators from current stockpiles or to consider manufacturing the equipment as health care supplies dwindle quickly.
“It’s now a matter of life or death,” Gorton said at a Monday press conference at city hall.
Gorton said she has been told by Fayette County health care providers that stockpiles of personal protection supplies were running dangerously low. Gorton has met weekly with providers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We need the help from businesses that can produce these products or have a stockpile of those items they can donate,” Gorton said. “Our healthcare workers are among the heroes of this crisis who deserve to be protected as they go about their work.”
Ray Daniels, chair of the Commerce Lexington executive board, said many local businesses have already donated or begun producing the gear.
But the next two weeks are critical as the number of cases is expected to climb, he said.
“In Lexington, we have already heard from many generous corporate citizens, but this is a time when we need all hands on deck,” he said.
In a Sunday Herald-Leader story, many health care workers said hospital systems were dangerously low on N95 masks, face shields and other protective equipment.
Fayette County Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kraig Humbaugh said the department has been able to distribute more than 284,000 surgical masks, more than 70,000 N95 respirators and about 2,000 boxes of gloves. Those numbers do not include personal protection supplies that hospitals and healthcare providers have purchased through commercial suppliers. Humbaugh said the public health department’s gear came from state and national stockpiles.
Gov. Andy Beshear has also asked businesses and individuals to donate the scarce equipment or to consider manufacturing it. Beshear has previously requested that anyone with personal protection supplies drop them off at any of the Kentucky State Police posts.
Businesses that are willing to donate or tweak manufacturing to make protection equipment are encouraged to call the Lexington mayor’s office at 859-258-3100 or the emergency operations center at 859-425-2255.
This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 12:34 PM.
