Westlake Donates Money, PPE to Support Communities, Healthcare Workers

From their headquarters in Houston to communities in both the U.S. and abroad, global PVC resin producer Westlake Chemical Corporation has been on the frontlines of supporting the fight against COVID-19.

As a signal of its commitment, the company contributed a combined $1 million on April 16 to the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund. The fund provides emergency assistance, including access to food, shelter, and health care, to families adversely affected by the pandemic.

Westlake’s president and CEO, Albert Chao, said that “as part of the Houston community, which has been Westlake’s home and given us so much, we feel it is a privilege to help in this time of need.” The corporate donation was made in conjunction with the charitable foundation established two decades earlier by the Chao family.

Meanwhile, facilities across the U.S. and Western Europe have rallied to donate needed PPE supplies to protect first responders.

Designing and donating vital PPE for healthcare workers.

Employees at the Calvert City, Ky., plant worked in conjunction with Petter Supply Company to obtain and donate approximately 400 N95 masks to area hospitals. In Natrium, W.Va., Westlake donated COVID-19 care packages of N95 masks, mono-goggles, and disposable gloves to three local healthcare organizations. And in Plaquemine, La., the facility donated N95 masks, Tyvek suits, paper and shop towels, safety goggles, and disinfectants to the state’s largest nonprofit academic healthcare system.

Meanwhile, north of the border Westlake’s workforce put its expertise to work. In Woodbridge, Ontario, Westlake subsidiary NAPCO researched and developed a design for PPE face shields. The design includes a Velcro staff that allows for flexibility in sizing, a much-needed feature for PPE.

The facility started production on April 7, with a prototype ready to share with frontline medical personnel two days later. After the prototype was tested during a 12-hour shift by an emergency room physician at Stevenson Memorial Hospital in nearby Alliston, the NAPCO fabrication unit began assembling 100 face shields that were packed and ready for pick-up on April 17. A total of 250 of the face shields were produced and  donated to hospitals and assisted-living facilities in Detroit, Mich.

Westlake facilities in Europe have also rallied to help, with facilities in Italy, Spain, and Germany providing critical support. Westlake’s Global Compounds operating unit in greater Milan made a donation to Croce Rossa Italiana (the Italian Red Cross). In Barcelona, the facility there donated disposable suits for use by doctors and nurses to protect themselves from infection. And the Vinnolit facility in Bavaria donated 2,400 respiratory masks to hospital and retirement home workers.

Find more about PVC/vinyl on the frontlines for COVID-19 relief here.