Escambia County Company Begins 3-D Printing Face Mask Shields Inspired By Facebook Post
April 7, 2020
As COVID-19 spread across the United States in March, Caroline Shaw knew the pandemic would alter many parts of her job as a sourcing manager at GE Renewable Energy’s wind turbine factory in Pensacola.
What Shaw hadn’t expected was for the virus to present her with a problem that seemed to have no simple solution.
A team of her coworkers had been assigned to screen employees for fevers or other signs of infection, and her job was to keep the team supplied with proper personal protective equipment, especially N95 face masks that limit the spread of the disease. Yet Shaw knew that adding to the small supply she had on hand would mean diverting masks from doctors and nurses who were in even more dire need of protection. “There’s a supply out there for the medical community,” Shaw says, “but we didn’t want to tap into that.”
Shaw hit upon a possible way out while browsing Facebook on Sunday, March 22. A message posted by a friend from her church described a couple in Virginia who were using a simple 3D printer to build plastic shields for protecting disposable N95 masks.
3D-printed mask shields are meant to extend the life of the N95 masks. The concept is simple — by placing the protective mask shield over the N95 masks, it helps to limit exposure of the mask to contaminants. In turn, this offers an opportunity to extend the life of an N95 mask beyond its typical one-time use while supply remains constrained. “These masks are intended to be disposable, but the CDC has guidelines on what to do in crisis situations,” Shaw explains.
As it happened, Shaw knew a lot about additive manufacturing, as 3D-printing is more formally known. Her plant uses an industrial-grade 3D printer to make tooling and custom-made gauges and prototype wind turbine components.
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So Shaw got moving. One of the central advantages of additive manufacturing is the speed it can move from idea to prototype to finished product. Shaw hit upon the idea on Sunday, the same day as her Facebook eureka moment, printed a plastic prototype of the N95 protective shield on a simple 3D printer on Monday and gave it to the on-site nurse to try out that afternoon.
Word spread fast. That same Tuesday, Tiffany Craft, a senior repair engineer, had caught wind of Shaw’s efforts and immediately began printing the mask shields. Craft gave the shields to her emergency response team and dropped a couple off at the local hospital. Craft has also been testing multiple materials and prototyping full mask designs to provide protection. Today, she’s helping build a design library where GE teams from around the world planning to 3D-print personal protection equipment can go for insights.
Soon, 20 of Shaw and Craft’s colleagues from around GE joined in the effort, coordinating their contributions to crowdsourcing improvements in the design. They included U.S. and Hungary-based teams from GE Aviation, GE Research and GE Power.
While the initial version worked well enough, the testers reported back several flaws. The tabs that kept the shield in place had a tendency to break off, so the team thickened the tabs and narrowed the slots they fit into on the chin piece. They also eliminated the elastic strap and created a plastic nub where the band of the N95 mask could fit, making the shields easier for workers in gloves to get on and off.
Shaw, Craft and their colleagues aren’t done. While additive manufacturing excels at rapid prototyping, it takes about 40 minutes to make each shield. The next and faster iteration of the manufacturing process could involve water jetting, which uses streams of water laced with tiny pieces of garnet to carve the masks out of sheets of plastic. This method has the additional advantage of being able to form the shield from plastics that are less porous than the ones 3D-printed. This could make them easier to clean by lowering the chance of a virus being able to cling to the shields.
That advance should allow shields to be produced every 5 minutes. After that, the team is looking to move to laser or die cutting, with the goal of being able to produce a shield in just 5 seconds.
Five Staff Members, Four Inmates COVID-19 Positive At Blackwater Prison
April 7, 2020
Five staff members and four inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 at a Milton prison.
The Florida Department of Corrections said Monday that five employees or contract staff members at Blackwater Correctional Facility have tested positive as they confirmed the four positive inmates. Blackwater is privately operated by the Geo Group, Inc. under a contract with the state.
A week ago, the coronavirus count at Blackwater was three workers and no inmates.
A staffer at the Century Correctional Institution has also tested positive for coronavirus. No CCI inmates were positive as of Monday’s report.
Poarch Creeks Donate $1 Million To Atmore Hospital For Equipment, COVID-19 Testing
April 7, 2020
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians Monday announced a $1 million donation to the Atmore Community Hospital which serves the city of Atmore and western Escambia County, Alabama, where the Poarch Creek Tribe’s trust lands are located.
The donation, which was earlier approved by Poarch’s Tribal Council, provides funding that the hospital urgently needs to replace vital equipment such as a CT scanner, ultrasound imaging, and new hospital beds.
Additionally, funding from the Tribe will help the hospital meet added expenses and staffing needs associated with collecting samples for testing and caring for patients potentially affected by the Covid-19 virus.
In announcing the donation, Poarch’s Tribal Chair and CEO Stephanie Bryan said, “We know how critically important Atmore Community Hospital is to our Tribe and all of our neighbors who live in and around Atmore. We understand the financial challenges that rural hospitals like it face every day, and we support its mission and its leadership. That is especially true now that our country is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. We are committed to doing everything we can to make sure this great hospital that serves our community has what it needs.”
Chris Griffin, CEO of The Escambia County Healthcare Authority noted, “This extremely generous donation from the Tribe could not have come at a more opportune time. We are committed to caring for our community, especially now during the Covid-19 crisis. These funds will help us pay for the expensive equipment and capital improvements that we have sorely needed, and the Tribe has also made it possible for us to cover the unexpected costs associated with the virus. We are so grateful that Poarch has supported us at critically important times through the years, and this is certainly one of them.”
Atmore Community Hospital is governed by the Escambia County Healthcare Authority Board of Directors. It is a not-for-profit acute care hospital and generates the majority of its funding from the services it provides.
Nearly 4,000 Tested For COVID-19 In Escambia County. About Half Have Their Results.
April 6, 2020
About half of those tested for COVID-19 in Escambia County have received their results.
The latest data as of Sunday night shows that 3,939 tests have been performed in Escambia County by Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist Hospital, West Florida Hospital and Community Health Northwest Florida. Of those tests, 3,226 were conducted in drive-thrus and 713 were conducted in hospitals’ inpatient, outpatient and emergency facilities.
There were 1,965 negative test results received, and 125 positives. That’s just over 50% of test results that are back, with a 6% positive rate; statewide the positive rate was 10.6%.
The Florida Department of Health lags behind in reporting testing numbers. The FDOH only showed 1,719 tests conducted in Escambia County Sunday night with 1,592 negatives.
As of Sunday night, there were nine hospitalizations and one fatality in Escambia County.
Gas Prices Continue Their Downward Plunge
April 6, 2020
Gas prices continue to decline in Florida, down an average of 50 cents in the past 40 days, according to AAA.
The state average price was at a four-year low of $1.91 a gallon.
The average price per gallon in Escambia County was $1.82. But the lowest price per gallon Sunday night in Pensacola was $1.57, and the lowest in North Escambia Sunday night was $1.63 at a Cantonment station on Muscogee Road.
“The recent crude oil rally is not yet enough to force gas prices higher, but it does affect how much lower they can go,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Historically, gas prices rise like a rocket and fall like a feather. In this case, retail prices are still slowly falling to catch up with the massive discounts in oil and gasoline values that we saw in the past six weeks. While it’s unclear which way oil prices will go this week, the plunge at the pump should continue this week.”
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Third COVID-19 Case Confirmed In Escambia County, Alabama
April 6, 2020
The Alabama Department of Public Health has confirmed a third COVID-19 case in Escambia County, Alabama, on Sunday.
ADOH has not released additional information about the city of residence or age of any of the patients. The state reported there have been 70 total COVID-19 tests in the county.
There were 1,842 COVID-19 cases in Alabama as of Sunday night. There have been 31 deaths in the state.
ECAT Rides Are Free Beginning Today. But You Should Use The Rear Door.
April 6, 2020
Riders can now take Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) transportation for free, and they are being asked to use the rear door of the bus.
ECAT temporarily suspend fare collection for bus passengers due to COVID-19 In addition, bus passengers will be instructed to enter and exit through the rear doors only and sit behind the accessibility-reserved seating area. Front-door access will be permitted only for passengers needing the boarding ramp or operator assistance to access the bus. ADA accessible seating space near the front of the bus is reserved for individuals in mobility devices, individuals in need of special assistance and families with children in strollers.
The changes will provide some separation between the operator and the passengers—and between passengers. The changes are being implemented in addition to precautions already implemented by ECAT, including increased sanitizing efforts of every bus on a daily basis.
Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) is expected to receive $10.3 million in COVID-19 stimulus funding, and they are temporarily suspending all fares.
The CARES Act funds are for capital and operational expenses during COVID-19 for local transit services. It’s 100% funding with no local match required.
COVID-19 Cases Reported In Florida Prison Inmates, Staff Cases Rise
April 6, 2020
The Florida Department of Corrections is reporting two prisoners that are positive for COVID-19 and a growing number of cases among staff.
Two inmates at the Blackwater Correctional Facility in Milton have been diagnosed positive.
There are 23 total employees and contract staff that have tested positive for COVID-19 at 15 prisons. That includes one at Century Correctional Institution and five at the privately operated Blackwater Correctional Facility.
Here’s How The Escambia County, Alabama, Sheriff Will Enforce Stay-At-Home Order
April 6, 2020
Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Heath Jackson expects citizens in his county will mostly follow the stay-at-home order issued by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.
The order, which went into effect at 5 p.m. Friday, means that everyone in Alabama must stay home except for essential activities and services.
“I feel pretty confident our citizens in Escambia County will be abide with the order and only come out when it’s essential. I have faith in our communities, and feel like people will reel in others for everybody’s safety and well being,” Jackson said.
“We plan to address situations that are blatant disregard for the law, but as far as interfering with day to day essential ways of life in our communities, we don’t plan to interfere,” Jackson said.
For more details on Alabama’s stay-at-home order, click here.
Two WEAR Channel 3 Employees Test Positive For COVID-19
April 5, 2020
Two employees at WEAR TV 3 in Pensacola have tested positive for COVID-19, the station announced during a Sunday evening newscast.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have suspended production in our newsroom starting Sunday for the next several days,” the station said on their website.
Sunday evening’s newscast on Channel 3 was mostly broadcast from their sister station WPMI TV 15 in Mobile; both stations are owned by the same company. During a local segment broadcast from the front lawn of the TV station, WEAR anchor Sue Straughn announced the COVID-19 cases and said WEAR 3 will continue to air local news.
NorthEscambia.com is a news partner with WEAR 3 – we often share stories, photos, and video. NorthEscambia.com publisher William Reynolds said no one from NorthEscambia.com has had any physical contact with anyone from WEAR 3 in many weeks, nor has anyone from NorthEscambia.com been inside WEAR’s studio this year.
“We wish our friends at WEAR the very best as they work through these trying times, and we offer our prayers to those directly impacted,” Reynolds said.