WASHINGTON, D.C. — December 14, 2020

Protec, a Vietnamese social enterprise and producer of personal protective equipment, donated 20,000 medical masks to provide life-saving support to healthcare workers and residents in Washington, D.C.

The donation of the 20,000 masks have been directed to healthcare workers and patients at Unity Health Care, the largest network of community health care centers in the District. The arrival of the medical masks has been viewed as a blessing for the healthcare workers on the frontlines, arriving soon after weeks of continued rises in cases in Washington, D.C. In response to the growth in new cases, Mayor Muriel Bowser enacted new COVID-19 restrictions on November 25 to promote distancing measures and keep residents safe in the capital city.

Dr. Robert Zarr, a pediatrician who has worked to provide medical care to low-income and immigrant communities at Unity Health Care, shared, “In my 20 years as a doctor here, I have never seen a more dire situation, both for medical staff and for patients. Having masks readily available helps immediately decrease transmission of this deadly virus within our clinic walls, but it also gives us a sense of security that we all are doing our part to reduce the risk of infection. My colleagues and I are grateful for this practical and generous gesture of goodwill.”