ATLANTA—Serta Simmons Bedding (SSB) will donate 10,000 mattresses to New York City hospitals and temporary medical facilities fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the healthcare system’s shortages of masks and ventilators have been heavily publicized, bedding is also expected to soon be dangerously scarce as the coronavirus spreads and hospitalizations surge. That is particularly the case in New York, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said the state would soon require as many as 140,000 additional hospital beds; it currently has 53,000 in use.
Beyond its 10,000 mattress donation, SSB also offered additional assistance, noting that its factories and expansive distribution network are capable of producing up to 20,000 beds per day at the lowest possible cost if needed.
“As the largest American producer of mattresses, Serta Simmons Bedding is committed to ensuring those who are hospitalized have a bed available where they can receive care and heal,” SSB Chairman and CEO David Swift said. “We’re calling on our peers in the bedding industry to join us in addressing this need.”
SSB’s donation, which is valued at $2 million, is being facilitated through its relationship with Relief Bed International, a nonprofit organization that provides beds to impoverished people and disaster victims around the world.