Community support for Meeker Memorial Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic continued Monday as the hospital received 1,000 N95 masks from an area business.
Forsman Farms of Howard Lake donated the masks to supplement the inventory of personal protective equipment the hospital has for healthcare workers.
"We're pleased to be able to make this contribution to Meeker Memorial and to support the people on the front lines of treating the COVID-19 outbreak," said Peter Forsman, Forsman Farm owner. "This is equipment that we use every day on our farms, but there's a more important, more immediate use for it in helping protect our community."
Meeker County has two confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, but Minnesota Department of Health models show the state's peak exposure to the virus will come in the summer.
"Forsman's donation is an excellent example of how our community is pulling together to prepare for a possible COVID-19 outbreak," said Marc Vaillancourt, vice president of development and operations at Meeker Memorial Hospital. "While the number of positive cases in our community remains low right now, we have to assume that situation will change. By making sure we have adequate supplies of personal protective equipment, we are acting to protect our frontline healthcare professionals and the community overall. We really appreciate Forsman's help in making that goal a reality."
Forsman Farms, founded in 1918, is one of Minnesota's leading egg producers serving the retail, food service and food processor markets.
