Governor Steve Bullock has announced he has secured hundreds of thousands of face masks, shields and gloves from private market distributors to protect Montana health care workers on the front lines of the response to COVID-19.
“Ensuring enough supplies of personal protective equipment for Montana’s frontline health care workers is something I fight for every single day in response to this public health crisis,” Governor Steve Bullock said. “Protecting the people who take care of Montanans when we need them most is critically important, especially as we look to begin gradually reopening our state in a way that will protect the public’s health and the recovery of our economy.”
Governor Bullock secured 244,200 KN95 masks, 110,000 surgical masks, 54,500 face shields and 55,000 gloves from several private market suppliers for health care providers across the state. The supplies have been delivered to the state and will distributed based on need throughout the state.
Additionally, Governor Bullock has secured about 140,000 N95 masks through a combination of the Strategic National Stockpile, a mutual aid agreement with North Dakota, and the American Red Cross. Additional supply orders are pending outside of the normal supply chains and the federal government.
Governor Bullock and the Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force continue to work daily to obtain additional personal protective equipment (PPE) through the private market and through the federal government.