Children’s hospital receives initial shipments of mask donations from City Furniture

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami has an additional layer of protection for its patients and their families thanks to the recent receipt of a shipment of 7,000 of the 30,000 total masks donated by City Furniture, which is based in Tamarac.

Another 2,000 are on the way and will soon be in the hands of staff members to disperse to those inside the hospital as a safeguard against the COVID-19 virus.

City Furniture President Andrew Koenig refers to the donations as “walkaround barrier masks” to be worn in the hallways and common areas of the hospital.

“Each day of this crisis, it’s more overwhelming to see the courage and determination of our region’s healthcare teams,” Koenig said in a statement. “It’s our privilege to be able to help.”

Seamstresses at City Furniture’s subsidiary — Kevin Charles Fine Upholstery — responded to the hospital’s call for help and are producing several thousand masks daily at the company’s New Albany, Mississippi factory. The masks, which are being transported for free by Southeastern Freight Lines, are another source of comfort at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

“We are so grateful to City Furniture for their initiative using their factory to build masks for (our) patients and families,” Dr. Chad Perlyn, pediatric surgeon and director of the operating room at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, said in a statement. “The greatest strength of a city lies in the compassion of its people, and City Furniture’s efforts show just how strong they are as a corporation and we are as a city.”

The 309-bed hospital, known as Miami Children’s Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is actively involved in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many of its specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News &

World Report since 2008.

For information about how you can support patients and healthcare workers at

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, visit nicklauschildren.org/COVID19Fund.

CITY FURNITURE From left, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Carolyn Domina (director, Maternal Fetal Program), Michelle Boggs (president, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation), Dr. Chad Perlyn (pediatric surgeon) and Perry Ann Reed (hospital president) recieve mask donations.