More Companies, Hotels Offer Medical Equipment, Meals

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—At times of crisis, the hotel industry makes every effort to take care of its own, as well as others in the areas that they serve. Here are some organizations that are helping any way they can during the coronavirus pandemic:

Las Vegas Sands to Donate Personal Protection Equipment
Las Vegas Sands will donate two million medical masks and 20,000 protective suits to help healthcare professionals, first responders and nonprofit organizations.

Medical mask donations will be distributed in Nevada, where the company is headquartered, and New York. Each state will receive one million masks. The 20,000 protective suits will be donated to hospitals and first responders in Nevada.

“Hopefully our donations will help protect people on the front lines so they can continue their invaluable work, and we can start to see the numbers of people affected begin to diminish,” said Sheldon G. Adelson, Sands chairman/CEO. “Our properties in Las Vegas may be empty right now, but our hearts are full of hope for the future. The determination and courage I have seen in our team members, which I know is the same throughout this country, gives me every confidence we will get through this unprecedented crisis.”

This contribution marks the second round of personal protective equipment donations Sands has made. The company previously provided 100,000 masks to the Las Vegas healthcare community and 5,000 masks to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. It also donated 1,900 coronavirus test kits to the state of Nevada.

In addition, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, operated by Las Vegas Sands, is lighting up guest suites to spell out the word “LOVE” as a tribute to medical personnel and first responders. The message will be displayed nightly at 8:30 p.m. Pacific Time for one hour.

Standard Textile Increases Production of Healthcare Products
Standard Textile has restructured its supply chain to provide support for America’s frontline medical workers during the current pandemic.

“Our healthcare customers are on the frontline of treating patients and saving lives, and we’re relentlessly working to ensure our customers and our communities have continuous access to essential supplies needed to safeguard the health of clinicians, patients, and their families,” said Gary Heiman, president/CEO of Standard Textile.

For weeks, the company has been leading an urgent charge to increase production of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gowns, face masks and face shields, in order to provide hospitals and healthcare workers in the U.S.

The company has pivoted and revamped its Brownsville, TX, facility to make face masks, and another facility is making face shields. A collaboration between the company’s research and development laboratory and its operations in Thomaston, GA, and Union, SC, resulted in rapidly developing a liquid-resistant, breathable and reusable cover gown for healthcare workers.

Paris Hotel Opens Kitchens to Hospital Workers
The Molitor Paris – MGallery hotel, closed since March 17 following government instructions, has reopened its kitchens to support the surgical resuscitation teams at the Saint-Antoine Hospital in Paris with hot meals. More than 60 meals will be delivered every evening.

A team of employees volunteered in the preparing and delivery of meals. Sanitary safety measures were reinforced with social distancing measures in the kitchens and for transportation, with masks, gloves, gowns and caps, hydroalcoholic gel and regular cleaning of the kitchens.