Shield production continues

The Free 3D Hands factory continues to produce face shields for health workers to help deal with the Covid outbreak. To date, they’ve distributed 4000 face shields to the health network.

They're now working to fund production of additional shields.

“We have been working with Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Childs, Jordan Crugnale (Member for Bass) and HPV (Health Purchasing Victoria) to fund the cost of producing a further 2000 face shields,” said Peta Strachan, who works with Mat Bowtell at Free 3D Hands.

“There are still huge shortages of raw materials so in order not to miss out, a few weeks ago we sourced and purchased the required materials from our own funds. We were told that had we been a week or so later that delivery times could be up to four months.”

Peta said the priority is to provide shields to Bass Coast Health and local aged care facilities.

The initial 4000 shields were distributed to a range of health and aged care providers. Peta said around 1000 were provided free to Bass Coast Health, while the remainder were prioritised to local and South Gippsland essential service workers and aged care facilities.

“We also sent shields interstate to organisations such as an Aboriginal Health Service in the NT who work out in remote communities, a Covid testing clinic in QLD and the North Shore Hospital in NSW,” said Peta.

“We did not provide any to the national stockpile as at the time they were only accepting deliveries of 20,000 units or above.”

Recently, 100 shields were sent to an imaging facility at Berwick Hospital, who had 27 patients test positive for COVID-19.

“Although they had received face shields from the national stockpile, the practice nurse explained that as they were disposable, they were flimsy and she felt they lacked protection,” said Peta.

“She said the face shields that Free 3D Hands had provided were very sturdy and had great coverage and they have been giving them to the Covid patients to wear.”

Free 3D Hands founder Mat Bowtell, and Nicky Baker, the head of Infection Control at Bass Coast Health, worked together on the design to improve the coverage and comfort of the shield.

Now dealing with the second wave of Covid infections, Bass Coast Health has again contacted the factory with a request for more face shields. Peta said the factory was waiting on news of additional funding so they could continue production.

“We are very grateful that the funds raised from the community have allowed us to continue to provide free face shields around Australia where we can,” she said.

“We hope that we will get another round of funding from HPV as we don’t believe Bass Coast Health should have any out of pocket costs for PPE.”