The preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic began at Door County Medical Center long before the area reported its first case on March 30th. Logistics manager Andrew Starr says Door County Medical Center began planning ahead with its personal protective equipment (PPE) purchases back at the beginning of February when the Centers for Disease Control reported its first COVID-19 case. Outside of the demand from hospitals across the country, Starr says the location of where much of the PPE is produced is adding to the shortage.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association shows that at least three of the ten hospitals in northeast Wisconsin have less than a week’s supply of goggles and paper medical masks. Door County Medical Center put out the call last week for volunteers to produce cloth face masks as a precaution for COVID-19.