Although Texas’ supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) is currently stable, the state has been stocking up to prepare for schools to reopen and for flu season to begin, Gov. Greg Abbott said today.
Speaking from a dedicated PPE warehouse in San Antonio, Governor Abbott said demand has not been as high as it was earlier this year. However, the state has ordered almost $1 billion in PPE to be prepared in case demand rises later.
The state has already received $600 million in PPE, including masks, hand sanitizer, and face shields, which are being stored in 40 warehouses around the state, Chief Nim Kidd (pictured) of the Texas Division of Emergency Management said.
“The goal is to get PPE out as widespread as we can: schools, hospitals, assisted living centers, and fire and EMT departments,” he said. “We are very rich in inventory of PPE, and we stand ready to serve.”
The state’s PPE supply includes more than 132 million masks, 32 million gloves, 8 million gowns and coveralls, and 4 million face shields, Governor Abbott said.
Since May 1, clinics and practices throughout the state have used the Texas Medical Association PPE Portal to obtain supplies they desperately need.
The TMA PPE Portal allows you to tell TMA how much personal protective equipment you currently have on hand, and how much you use each day in the current COVID-19 emergency.
The portal is not a place to order PPE. Instead, it sends data to the state’s Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) partners and Regional Advisory Councils (RACs), which are responsible for distributing PPE the state purchases from the worldwide supply chain. RACs ship PPE allocated for physicians within their regions to local county medical societies, which then distribute the supplies to individual physician practices.
Find more about the TMA’s PPE Portal in this PPE Distribution FAQ.
As always, check the TMA COVID-19 Resource Center regularly for up-to-date news and the latest TMA materials for your practice.