In an effort to help resupply hospitals with critical personal protective equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic, Worcester Polytechnic Institute collected nearly 40,000 gloves and about 1,000 masks among dozens of other supplies that are set to be donated to medical centers across the state.
Beyond donating supplies directly, the university also began providing help with outside-the-box measures, including offering 3D printing of supplies and amassing “a small army of volunteers” to sew masks.
WPI biomedical engineering professor Glenn Gaudette has spearheaded this effort as materials were gathered last weekend.
As for supplies already on hand, WPI collected, inventoried, sorted, labeled, packaged and loaded the following items onto pallets that are ready for pick up or delivery:
- 36,400+ Nitrile gloves
- 2,890 Latex gloves
- 810 Surgical masks
- 84 Surgical masks with eye shield
- 200 Clean room masks
- 36 N95 masks
- 136 Safety glasses
- 41 Protective gowns
- 700 Surgical caps
- 250 Shoe covers
- 250 Surgical drapes
- 4,000 Cotton-tipped swabs for testing
- 200 Biohazard bags
The list of items was sent to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). WPI is awaiting response from the organization.
Beyond the supplies on hand, many within the WPI community have started groups to offer sewing to produce protective gear. The groups include family members of WPI employees, including children.
Led by professor Kristin Boudreau, the groups have collected and distributed mask materials, designs and sewing machines. They’re also looking into sterilization resources if necessary.
Finally Donna Levin, the executive director of innovation and entrepreneurship and her group are coordinating plans for 3D printing of items.
Items have not been printed yet. The group is currently evaluating what a production process would look like to ensure the items are best designed and created to meet the needs of medical professionals. WPI asks anyone that can provide relevant contributions to reach out to Levin at djlevin@wpi.edu.
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