The Los Angeles Unified School District on Friday said it’s providing local hospitals 100,000 N95 masks as the community continues to face a rising number of coronavirus cases.
LAUSD previously bought the masks and other protective equipment in preparation for emergencies such as fires, according to district officials.
LAUSD staffers and volunteers are currently using some of the masks at the dozens of “Grab & Go” food center locations where students and their families can receive meals as classes remain suspended during the outbreak.
According the district, it will distribute 100,000 N95 masks to the following 10 hospitals: Adventist Health White Memorial, Community Hospital of Huntington Park, LAC+USC Medical Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, Memorial Hospital of Gardena, Olive View UCLA Medical Center, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center, Valley Presbyterian Hospital and UCLA Medical Center.
“We’re all in this together,” LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner said in a tweet on Saturday.
On Wednesday, L.A. County officials urged health care providers to start conserving gear by reusing face masks and wear expired masks and gowns ahead of an expected surge of COVID-19 patients. While the county has ordered more supplies, the current stockpile has been emptied of surgical and N95 masks, authorities said.
Dr. John C. Mazziotta, vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health, expressed appreciation for LAUSD’s decision to share its supply.
“Our healthcare workers are on the front lines, and we must ensure their protection,” Mazziotta said in a statement.