That question was asked by a volunteer group organized by Jim Hofmann when in late March it became clear that healthcare workers needed PPE, specifically face shields that provide full face protection while treating COVID-19 patients.
Hofmann, a Newton High School technology teacher and robotics coach, started a project to 3D print face shields and named it “PPE Made In The USA.”. He reached out to colleagues, and soon the group of volunteers grew to 45 people. Within one month, they donated over 3,000 3D-printed face shields across northern New Jersey.
Initially the need for face shields was greatest at hospitals. But demand also increased at long-term care facilities, especially in Bergen County where Hofmann grew up. Currently Bergen County leads the state with the greatest number of long-term care facilities with outbreaks and the largest number long-term facility residents who are COVID positive.
The team ramped up production, and produced 1,000 face shields for Bergen County, where Hofmann’s sister was the point person to deliver them to LTC facilities. But how do you transport all those face shields sixty-miles?
Hofmann reached out via his brother, a retired long-time sales rep for Kuiken Brothers in Emerson, a distributor of residential and commercial building products. Nick Kuiken, vice president of sales, made arrangements for one of the company’s delivery trucks to handle the shipment to Closter.
When asked why they got involved Kuiken says, "It was a pleasure to assist Jim and his group of dedicated volunteers. When we heard about the work they were doing to help the front line medical workers it was an easy decision to provide the assistance they needed."
Kuiken Bros. posted photos and an article about the delivery on their blog.
Hofmann’s sister then delivered the 1,000 face shields to LTC facilities throughout Bergen County, including CareOne at Wellington in Hackensack. Charlotte Sodora, senior executive director, expressed her gratitude to the team of volunteers who made the face shields. She said “The quality is amazing and will definitely assist my team in protecting themselves and our patients from further harm and spreading of this awful disease. The team from Newton of amazing volunteers has truly inspired us. This donation also represents the good in people. A bunch of complete strangers is spending their time and resources to offer protection to my staff. This act of kindness does not go unnoticed and reaffirms my faith in humanity during this difficult challenge.”
A Go-Fund-Me campaign was established to cover the raw materials used to make the face shields. If you would like to donate, please visit www.gofundme.com/f/ppe-made-in-the-usa.
Anyone interested in helping with production, or any hospitals or long-term care facilities with a need for face shields can email ppemadeintheusa@gmail.com.