RTTNews | Jan 21, 2021 08:52AM EST

08:51 Thursday, January 21, 2021 (RTTNews.com) - HCA Healthcare Inc. (HCA) said Thursday it has entered into a new joint venture business with A Plus International Inc., a manufacturer of healthcare products, to expand access to personal protective equipment or PPE by manufacturing surgical and procedure masks in the United States.

The new business entity is part of HCA Healthcare's continued effort to support healthcare workers and address the global demand for PPE.

Under the joint venture, HCA Healthcare expects production of Level 1 and Level 3 masks that meet American Society for Testing and Materials or ASTM standards for quality and safety to begin in early 2021 from a manufacturing center in Asheville, North Carolina.

The investment in the new business entity will initially be funded equally by HCA Healthcare Mission Fund, LLC, an affiliate of HCA Healthcare, and A Plus.

HCA Healthcare noted that its 2020 spending for PPE increased by more than $196 million from 2019.

Supporting the supply chain of hospitals and non-acute providers, HealthTrust, a leader in purchasing aggregation and performance improvement for healthcare, will co-manage the joint venture with A Plus.

HealthTrust's wholly owned subsidiary, Resource Optimization & Innovation or ROi, will serve as the distribution partner for the business. Roi will provide access to PPE inventories to HealthTrust member organizations in the U.S.

Read the original article on RTTNews ( https://www.rttnews.com/3162268/hca-healthcare-enters-into-jv-with-a-plus-international-to-make-surgical-and-procedure-masks.aspx)

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