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Dr. Steven Burdette, medical director of infection control at Miami Valley Hospital, said the potential for a shortage of gowns was on the horizon and at one point the hospital was down to a week’s worth of supply.
Premier Health, FastLane, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership for West Central Ohio housed within the University of Dayton Research Institute and Industry Products Co. of Piqua collaborated to solve the potential shortage. Burdette said the shipments of gowns plus other personal protection equipment will help hospital staff better serve patients with COVID-19.
“To protect yourself against COVID, we talk a lot about masks and we talk a lot about gloves, but protecting your body and protecting your clothes, that’s what keeps safe not only when we’re in the patient’s room, but it keeps us safe when we leave and from taking things home to our family,” Burdette said. “Gowns are critical.”
The gowns are one size fits all and cover most of the health care professionals’ body and are ripped off once used. They cannot be reused as they become contaminated.
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It’s not the first time local businesses got involved to help Premier combat the pandemic. FastLane recently worked with Premier Health to design face shields for health care workers treating patients with COVID-19.
“We are doing everything we can to help ensure the safety of the front-line health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic,” FastLane director Phil Ratermann said.
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