An aerospace company in Fort Worth is refocusing its operation to mass-produce face masks to combat the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.
GDC Technics will voluntarily produce the highly sought-after N95 compliant face masks to be donated to local Fort Worth hospitals, the company announced Monday.
The company has pledged to produce and donate a minimum of one thousand N95 compliant face masks per week to local hospitals while maintaining its normal operations, which includes engineering, modification, R&D, MRO and other services in the aviation and defense industries.
All GDC Technics workshops are open and operating at full capacity.
“We, at GDC, are doing everything we can to continue our operations while keeping our employees and their families safe by ensuring we follow the recommendations and regulations issued by all local authorities, the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization.” GDC Technics CEO Brad Foreman said in a statement.
“We recognize that this is a difficult time for many and our employees want to do everything possible to support our country. We offer this commitment of face mask donations to bring help to our community and further unite us against the spread of COVID-19,” he added.
N95 compliant face masks are a type of personal protective equipment that can be used to protect the wearer from airborne particles and to keep liquids from contaminating the wearer’s face. Healthcare professionals use face masks to help prevent the contraction and spread of the virus.
The CDC deems N95 respirators the personal protective equipment, commonly referred to as “PPE”. most often used to control exposures to infections transmitted via the airborne route.
The growing coronavirus cases in the U.S. have created a shortage of N95 facemasks for even doctors and other healthcare officials.
GDC Technics is also evaluating its ability to help manufacture ventilators as this is also a critical need at this time, the company said.