TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Consumers aren't the only ones struggling to find critical supplies to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
Our health care workers are on the front lines of this battle, and personal protective equipment is hard to come by.
The N-95 masks are one of the ways doctors and nurses protect themselves while they tend to the needs of your loved ones.
Hospitals all over the country have been directed to stop all non-life threatening procedures, which has put a financial strain on their ability to get the equipment needed to fight COVID-19.
"The price of the protective equipment was six to 20 times in March what it normally costs," said Justin Senior, Florida Hospital Alliance. "So it was very difficult to come by. And hospitals started to take measures to preserve the equipment."
This comes at a time when Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare says they're preparing for a surge in COVID-19 patients.
"The training cost and equipment cost associated with preparing for the surge, they're no doubt like other hospitals in the state burning the candle at both ends," Senior explained. "They're incurring substantial increased cost associated with preparation, and at the same time there's been a drop in revenue."
Our local hospitals are looking to the federal and state governments to make up some of those costs.
Part of the next national stimulus package includes $100 billion to will help hospitals all over the country make sure they're prepared for what's next.
