NAH and Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy partner to distribute N95 masks to the community

NAH Physician Executive of Quality and Safety, Dr. John Mougin, hands out N95 masks to members of the community during the mask distribution event on Sunday, Jan. 16.

We’re all in this together, and the N95 Mask Distribution partnership is indicative of our mutual dedication to protect and enhance the quality of life of our Flagstaff residents.

Paul Deasy, Flagstaff Mayor

NAH partnered with Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy for an N95 mask distribution event for the community. On Sunday, January 16 between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., Mayor Deasy’s wife, Amethyst, and other volunteers distributed 5,000 N95 masks that NAH had donated for members of the local community at the drive-thru event at the Downtown Flagstaff Library parking lot. Each person that arrived were given up to five masks each.       

“Amethyst and I want to thank NAH for their generous donation to our community, and I greatly appreciate our team for making this happen so quickly,” said Mayor Deasy. “We’re all in this together, and the N95 Mask Distribution partnership is indicative of our mutual dedication to protect and enhance the quality of life of our Flagstaff residents.” 

Amethyst bagged the 5,000 masks herself, and she and NAH Physician Executive of Quality and Safety, Dr. John Mougin, gave directions on how to properly use the N95 masks as they handed out the masks to the waiting cars. N95 masks are significant in helping stop the spread of COVID-19 because they prevent even smaller particles from either escaping from the individual or from the breathing them in, which gives people a higher level of protection than cloth or surgical masks. 

“The hospital’s been looking for ways to contribute to community safety, especially with the increase in cases of Omicron we’ve seen recently,” said Dr. Mougin. “People need to continue to be aware that COVID-19 is prominent in our communities right now, and by doing our part by social distancing, wearing a mask and staying home if we’re ill, can help keep others safe in our community.” 

“There’s a lot of things I can’t do at home and don’t have much influence on what happens, but this was something that I really felt like I could make a difference and I’m so glad for that,” said Amethyst Deasy. “It’s our way of doing whatever we can to help the town, and if it makes a few people feel a little bit safer, it’s worth it. NAH really came through for us with this huge donation that made this all possible, so we were really happy about that.” 

Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy’s wife, Amethyst, handing out N95 masks to a long line of cars during the community wide mask distribution event with NAH on Sunday, Jan. 16.  

An outpouring of gratitude and encouragement came with every car at the N95 mask distribution event at the Downtown Flagstaff Library parking lot on Sunday, Jan. 16.