Mack Molding And SVHC Dive Deep In Search Of PPE
Submitted by SVHC
Mack Molding and Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) have partnered to develop an innovative alternative for Personal Protective Equipment for the health system. Similar to the rest of the country, southern Vermont has not been immune to the challenges of acquiring PPE during the COVID-19 crisis, and most specifically disposable masks. Through its collaboration, Mack and SVHC began investigating alternative mask options that could be modified since N95s masks and 7700 respirators are in high demand.
The collaboration arose out of personal connections. Kevin Dailey, the vice president of Administration/CHRO at SVHC had led human resources at Mack until 5 years ago. He knew the type of specialty plastics manufacturing and rapid product development Mack was capable of. When it was clear that PPE would likely run short, he gave his friends there a call. Realizing the extraordinary tight time-frame and regionally important challenge, Mack—a leading supplier of contract injection molded plastic parts to companies in a range of industries—called on Adam Lehman, president of its subsidiary, Synectic, to identify immediately available options that could be redesigned to function as a respirator. Lehman located a snorkeling mask that the Synectic design team could quickly reengineer into Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
“When I informed Synectic’s team about this project, they were ready and excited for the challenge,” said Jeff Somple, president at Mack headquarters in nearby Arlington, VT. “It was an opportunity for some groundbreaking innovation and to make a meaningful difference for our region’s front line healthcare workers.
Unlike medically approved respirators, the scuba mask has been adapted to meet the filtration requirements of personal protective equipment (PPE). The risk assessment conducted by Mack’s design and SVHC showed that the mask fully seals around the face with silicone, reducing skin breakdown, and the N100 HEPA filters have a higher rate of filtration than the material in the traditional N95 masks. Less than three weeks after the initial request to Mack, their subsidiary Synectic delivered 500 scuba masks and 2,000 N100 HEPA filter casings to the hospital.
Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, SVHC’s president and CEO, expressed relief at having secured the adapted scuba masks to outfit those in the highest risk areas of the hospital. “This is a great example of how collaboration and innovation sustain us during challenging times” he said.