New Britain manufacturer OKAY Industries and volunteers say they could produce up to 15,000 face shields for doctors and nurses at Hartford Healthcare and the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain.
OKAY yesterday delivered a prototype of the shield to Hartford Healthcare for approval, CEO Jason Howey said Wednesday morning. Shields will be made by an assembly line of volunteers using space at New Britain High School, and $40,000 raised so far by the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain.
“It’s a community-based approach for the need [of personal protective equipment],” Howey said. “Our goal is sometime by next week to start the assembly production of the shields.”
The face shields OKAY will produce go over healthcare workers’ masks, and protect them from the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Howey said. OKAY Industries staff will also provide training to volunteers to ensure that face shields are assembled correctly, cleanliness standards are maintained, and safe distances are complied with for personnel.
Howey expects they will produce between 10,000 and 15,000 shields, but that number could increase if other local hospitals and healthcare systems request them.
