Governor Greg Abbott has announced a new partnership between the Texas Military Department and Prestige Ameritech to increase the production of face masks for health care workers. Prestige Ameritech's 24-hour operation at their headquarters near Fort Worth will be staffed in part by members of the Texas National Guard 36th Infantry Division and will produce 2 million masks per week. The Governor thanked private companies across the state that are manufacturing PPE for Texans serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response.
The Governor was joined for the press conference by Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, and Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs of the University of Texas System John Zerwas, MD.
"The State of Texas is continuing to work closely with our public and private partners to ramp up the production and distribution of PPE in Texas," said Governor Abbott. "This new partnership between TMD and Prestige Ameritech is an important component of our commitment to ensuring our health care workers have the supplies they need to do their important work. I thank these partners for providing this much-needed resource to our health care workers serving our fellow Texans. The Lone Star State remains unwavering in our support for our frontline health care workers as we continue to respond to COVID-19."
Prestige Ameritech is a designer and manufacturer of disposable medical devices and the automated machinery that produces them. The company is the United States’ largest domestic surgical mask manufacturer. Prestige Ameritech’s headquarters and 220,000 square foot manufacturing facility are located near Fort Worth.
The announcement included a video featuring Dan Reese, Prestige Ameritech CEO and Founder, detailing the partnership between his company and the Texas Military Department: