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Woodhaven Manor and Marengo Nursing Home recently received a large donation of masks for their staff.

Brian Ward, a Demopolis native, and his wife Jennifer Ward are the CEO and CFO of DocRx, a U.S. based healthcare firm dedicated to helping hospitals, pharmacies, and physicians treat patients. They donated the masks to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in the nursing homes.

“The most at-risk patients for this virus are the elderly and residents in the nursing homes. And while most people are staying at home, you’ve got workers on the front lines going in and taking care of these people,” said Ward. “We just felt like it was something we wanted to do, and it was a chance for us to give back to the community.”

He also says that just because he doesn’t live in Demopolis anymore doesn’t mean he can’t lend a helping hand to his home.

“When you’re born and raised in Marengo County, and you move away, you still have tons of opportunities to give back and help,” said Ward. “You never lose sight of being there. It’s still home.”

Ward and his wife donated close to 1,000 masks that were divided between the two nursing homes. Their company sells medical supplies to businesses across the country, and he wanted to do something to help rural communities that are struggling financially due to the pandemic. Ward also had a personal reason for donating the masks as he has family members in both nursing homes.

The masks’ donation was well-received by the staff of both nursing homes as Ward received several calls, Facebook posts, and text messages thanking him and his wife for what they had done.

“We were glad to see that our donation was such a big help. But the true thing is you should thank them,” said Ward. “They’re the ones who wake up every day and go take care of the people who can’t take care of themselves.”