Banner Health announced a move to begin purchasing masks for the next for its facilities from domestic manufacturer Prestige Ameritech, the healthcare system announced in a Tuesday press release.
After partnering with Premier Inc, Banner acquired a minority stake in Prestige, which manufactures personal protective equipment, including the N95 respirator and surgical masks. As part of the deal, Banner announced a commitment to acquiring a portion of its masks from Prestige for up to six years, including a three-year renewal option.
Prestige Ameritech is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas at its 220,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.
According to Banner, worldwide border closures and supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the risk to daily operations presented to healthcare operators.
“Overreliance on foreign manufacturers is a key reason why we’ve had concerns about the consistency of available PPE supplies at care sites across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Banner Chief Financial OfficerDennis Laraway, in a statement.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.