CORONAVIRUS: STRONGER TOGETHER

Intermountain Healthcare Creating Thousands Of Face Shields To Protect Medical Workers Statewide

Apr 13, 2020, 6:36 PM | Updated: 7:53 pm

MURRAY, Utah – We’ve seen a lot of ingenuity in our community to meet the demand for personal protective equipment worn by health care workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Intermountain Healthcare is now manufacturing face shields to be shared with hospitals across the state.

These are the large clear plastic face shields health care workers wear on the outside of their medical masks when treating people for COVID-19.

“There weren’t enough in the market, so, what can we do about that?” asked Scott Schofield, director of supply chain services at Intermountain Healthcare.

Schofield asked the question three weeks ago when it became obvious Utah would eventually run out of critical personal protective equipment in its hospitals if something wasn’t done.

“It started out as an idea,” said Schofield.

He said they wanted to take care of face shields for their hospitals and every other hospital in the state that was calling to find out about the supply of face shields.

“So, we jumped in and went to work,” he said.

Three weeks later, they have made nearly 30,000 face shields and were producing 3,000 to 4,000 each day.

To help keep the project moving, they received raw material donations from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and design help from the University of Utah. Volunteers were also helping with production.

“This has been so rewarding,” said Schofield. “Honestly, to be able to do something that is in critical need, that is really making an impact with our caregivers — keeping them safe — has meant all the world to me and everybody else who has worked with me on this project.”

The face shields are lightweight, functional and easy to reuse. They are made from a polycarbonate material that is thick, strong and flexible.

The shields are cut in the Intermountain sign shop in Utah County and assembled in Midvale.

“If the shield gets dirty, they can clean it with the regular cleaning protocol,” Schofield said.

Intermountain Healthcare officials were distributing those face shields to hospitals and other healthcare organizations that need them.

“It’s an important part of PPE because it extends the life of the N95 mask and protects the caregiver from any kind of splashback, or whatever to the eyes, the face and nose,” Schofield said. “It’s just good all American ingenuity we’re just pulling together what we have to make something work.”


Coronavirus Resources

How Do I Prevent It?

The CDC has some simple recommendations, most of which are the same for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:

  • Avoid close contact with people who may be sick
  • Avoid touching your face
  • Stay home when you are sick
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

How To Get Help

If you’re worried you may have COVID-19, you can contact the Utah Coronavirus Information Line at 1-800-456-7707 to speak to trained healthcare professionals. You can also use telehealth services through your healthcare providers.

Additional Resources

If you see evidence of PRICE GOUGING, the Utah Attorney General’s Office wants you to report it. Common items in question include toilet paper, water, hand sanitizer, certain household cleaners, and even cold medicine and baby formula. Authorities are asking anyone who sees price gouging to report it to the Utah Division of Consumer Protection at 801-530-6601 or 800-721-7233. The division can also be reached by email at consumerprotection@utah.gov.

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Intermountain Healthcare Creating Thousands Of Face Shields To Protect Medical Workers Statewide