Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital (HHMH) received 16 frames and 75 face shields, courtesy of the PacSci EMC Engineers in Hollister. The shields are being used by hospital staff amidst a shortage of personal protection equipment during the COVID-19 crisis.
When Patrick Piccoli, husband of Kristi Piccoli, Emergency Room nurse at HHMH, learned about the need for additional personal protective equipment (PPE) for the hospital staff, he spoke to the engineers at his company to see what they could create, according to a press release from the hospital. Brandon Greenley, General Manager at PacSci EMC, gave his staff the thumbs up to devote their time and resources to move forward with the project.
Richard Henderson, the lead engineer for the face shields, created a 3-D printed prototype and soon the project was in full swing. Within 24 hours, the first pieces were sent to the ER staff to test for comfort and sizing. Once a few adjustments were made, production began on the frames.
“It takes 31 hours to complete eight frames, so it is a slow process, but we intend to keep going until we create shields for every employee that needs one” said Henderson.
In order to help the HHMH health care facility, PacSci EMC leveraged Open Source files on the internet in order to create a customized mask/shield solution for the hospital.
PacSci EMC is also working on shields for personal air purifying respirators (PAPR), which the hospital said were on backorder.
