Page 5 - June SRG

Slippery rock Gazette
Texarkana Stonework Company
Adds Making Medical Equipment
Stone Studio is devoting part of its operations to building protective equipment for health care providers treating COVID-19 patients
June 2020|5
Karl Richter
Texarkana Gazette
Stone Studio fabricates and sells granite, marble and quartz
for uses such as kitchen countertops. But it has begun using its fabrication equipment to build plastic boxes that protect nurses and doctors while they intu- bate patients, according to a news release.
Clinicians place the clear boxes, called aerosol pro- tection boxes, over the heads of patients before intubating them, reaching through holes in the boxes’ sides. The boxes contain the patients’ breath and coughs, which otherwise could spread the virus.
“The governor reached out to manufacturers ask- ing for help, and initially I wasn’t sure what we could do. But then I saw a plexi- glass box and thought, ‘My team can make those!’
“I reached out to a friend who works in the ER to see if it would be useful and his reply was, ‘How soon can we get them?’ We made it a priority, and then word spread and we ended up making more for other fa- cilities. We’re really glad to be able to do something to help,” Stone Studio owner Dustin Hughes said.
Wadley Regional Medical Center and CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System
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Stone Studios employee Justin Moore finishes an aero- sol protection box to be used by health care providers when intubating COVID-19 patients. The company’s main business is selling granite, marble and quartz countertops, but it recently began using its fabrication equipment to build the boxes, which protect clinicians, nurses and doctors from contamination.
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have received boxes, and Stone Studio is working to fill an order from Texarkana Gastroenterology consul- tants. Health care facilities in Louisiana have also asked the company about getting boxes.
In a recent letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, staff in the an- esthesiology department at Boston Medical Center rec- ommended use of aerosol protection boxes in treating COVID-19 patients, espe- cially in situations where a lack of personal protec- tive equipment necessitates some improvisation.
During the BMC doctors’ experiments with a simu- lated cough, only the inside of the box and the clinician’s gloves and gowned forearms were contaminated. Without
the box, contamination was seen as far as 2 meters from the patient.
“We are fortunate that construction jobs are con- tinuing to keep our staff busy and employed, but where we can do our part to help contain this virus, we are excited to do so,” said Mary Adams, Stone Studio’s vice pres- ident of operations and development.
Stone Studio is at 700 E. Broad Street in Texarkana, AR. If you would like to know more, contact Kelly Campbell at 903-831- 4482 or kcampbell@cci mill.com.
Reprinted courtesy of the au- thor and the Texarkana Gazette.
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