ByBlair Caldwell|April 6, 2020 at 5:01 PM EDT - Updated April 6 at 5:01 PM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The coronavirus pandemic created a critically high need for personal protective equipment. And the actual act of getting that PPE can be difficult.
A doctor from St. Joseph’s Hospital reached out to SCAD for help.
It looks like a simple creation, but doctors say this face shield created by SCAD will help them serve patients through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s fantastic and it’s very heartwarming to know that they are willing to step up and be a part of helping our healthcare workers here and the members of staff here it’s really, it’s great to have that kind of support from our community," said Dr. Asma Khan with St. Joseph’s Hospital.
It started as just an idea. Dr. Khan saw what the coronavirus was doing to hospitals across the county and wondered if SCAD could help them with PPE.
“In the spirit of finding solutions for problems before they are actual problems I reached out to a friend who was able to link me to these wonderful people at SCAD and present them with some ideas and they kind of ran with it.”
SCAD quickly got to work. They fired up their 3D printer and had a prototype in days. They worked to make face shields and mask bands that would be more comfortable for hospital staff.
“It took some time for them to look at the process to look at the masks, evaluate the prototype, but we’ve been able to already produce 90 for them and we’re on schedule to do 30 per day," said Vice President of SCAD Savannah John Buckovich.
SCADpro and the school of design made it possible. They have three to four people producing the PPE daily – all following the CDC guidelines. For SCAD leaders this partnership was a no-brainer.
“We’re honored to do it. Savannah is our hometown. We’re a part of Savannah and we are just truly honored to be able to use our resources and our talent to help these healthcare workers who are in this every single day," said Buckovich.
Dr. Khan says this gear has already proven effective and will help them continue to serve the community through the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo: Getty Images