City Furniture is producing and donating 30,000 protective masks to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to help safeguard patients and families from COVID-19. The donation helps the hospital spare its most critical hospital supplies and offset global resource shortages.

The masks will be used as “walk-around barrier masks” for patients and families to wear in the hallways or common areas of the hospital. Nicklaus Children’s staff anticipate 2,000 masks could be used by patients and families per day, so the City Furniture donation shores up the hospital for at least two weeks. 

Seamstresses at City Furniture’s subsidiary, Kevin Charles Fine Upholstery, are producing several thousand masks daily at the company’s New Albany, Mississippi factory. “Each day of this crisis, it’s more overwhelming to see the courage and determination of our region’s healthcare teams,” says City Furniture President Andrew Koenig. “It’s our privilege to be able to help. When we heard Nicklaus Children’s Hospital needed walk-around barrier masks ‘stat,’ the team at Kevin Charles immediately retooled and launched production.”

The first two shipments of masks arrived at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital this week, with more shipments expected next week. The masks are being shipped for free by Southeastern Freight Lines. 

“We are so grateful to City Furniture for their initiative using their factory to build masks for patients and families at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital,” says Chad Perlyn, MD, pediatric surgeon and director of operating room at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.  “The greatest strength of a city lies in the compassion of its people, and City Furniture’s efforts shows just how strong they are as a corporation and we are as a city.  On behalf of the entire team at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, thank you City Furniture!”

Learn more about how Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic at www.nicklauschildrens.org/COVID19. For more information on how you can support patients and healthcare workers at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, visit www.nicklauschildren.org/COVID19Fund.