{"id":65033,"date":"2020-04-04T05:03:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T11:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-makerlab-brings-protective-gear-to-health-care-workers\/"},"modified":"2020-04-04T11:03:08","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T11:03:08","slug":"durango-makerlab-brings-protective-gear-to-health-care-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-makerlab-brings-protective-gear-to-health-care-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango MakerLab brings protective gear to health care workers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Ryan
Ryan Finnigan, co-founder of the Durango MakerLab, shows a prototype of a face shield designed at the MakerLab. The MakerLab has moved into high gear in recent weeks, trying to create personal protective equipment to help health care professionals responding to patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Amid nationwide shortages of protective gear for nurses and doctors on the front line of the coronavirus, a homegrown effort in La Plata County has stepped up to bring supplies to health care workers.<\/p>\n

In the past week or so, more than 200 people associated with Durango\u2019s MakerLab and other individuals have mobilized to make masks, gowns and other equipment for local hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just an amazing community effort that says so much about Durango,\u201d said Ryan Finnigan, a co-founder of the MakerLab. \u201cWe have the chance, with enough funding, to make a huge difference in helping get our health care providers geared up with everything they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Personal protective equipment, or PPE, is in high demand as supply chains can no longer keep up delivering resources amid the growing coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n

\"Jason
Jason Wagner, Fort Lewis College engineering and physics shop manager, operates the college\u2019s water jet cutter using 50,000 pounds of pressure to cut plastic face shields and hoods for the powered air-purifying respirator the MakerLab designed and put into production Tuesday.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ryan
Ryan Finnigan, co-founder of the Durango MakerLab, shows a prototype that has been designed at the MakerLab for personal protective equipment, or PPE, for health care workers.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Jarrad Maiers, an emergency physician at San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, said supplies were running low. Searching for a way to put PPEs in the hands of his staff, he reached out to the MakerLab.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018I need help. I need equipment,\u2019\u201d Maiers said. \u201cAnd then they immediately went into full-gear mode.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mechanical tinkers at the MakerLab researched how to build necessary equipment, like masks and gowns. They consulted medical workers and, in a short time, started drawing prototypes, working around the clock.<\/p>\n

Scavenging materials, members at the MakerLab started ramping up production. Now, it\u2019s a full-scale operation, with people sewing from home, others working delivery routes and a core group drawing more prototypes.<\/p>\n

Most of the work, Finnigan said, is funded straight out of personal accounts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went from a maker space with a handful of members,\u201d he said, \u201cto a 160-person organization, rapidly prototyping and manufacturing medical supplies in about seven days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Materials are not Food and Drug Administration approved, yet they were tested extensively and given the green light from the biohazard and hazmat coordinator for the Farmington Fire Department, Maiers said.<\/p>\n

\"Ron
Ron Rod, a Durango MakerLab member, wears a prototype of a powered air-purifying respirator the lab designed and put into production Tuesday at Fort Lewis College. The hood is constructed from an exterior house-wrap material purchased from The Home Depot.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Jason
Jason Wagner, Fort Lewis College engineering and physics shop manager, operates the college\u2019s water jet cutter using 50,000 pounds of pressure to cut plastic face shields and hoods for the powered air-purifying respirator the MakerLab designed and put into production Tuesday.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The most recent accomplishment was MakerLab\u2019s powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) unit, which consists of a hood attached to a tube with an air filter to protect health care workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I asked for a PAPR, (Finnigan) and his team reverse engineered it in about 72 hours,\u201d Maiers said. \u201cThat\u2019s a herculean effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maiers said San Juan Regional has set aside two floors of the hospital for coronavirus patients, and every day, more people are filtering in. In the next few weeks, however, he expects the first major surge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very much expecting the wave to crash in the next few weeks,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the moment it hits us, it\u2019s going to hit Durango as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

A nurse at Mercy Regional Medical Center, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the hospital, at the direction of Centura Health, initially did not allow its workers to use PPEs made and donated within the community, even though the hospital had shortages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were being asked to share gowns and conserve masks because there wasn\u2019t enough,\u201d the nurse said.<\/p>\n

But recently, Mercy changed course.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we were all like, \u2018Thank God,\u2019\u201d the nurse said. \u201cMercy has really come around \u2026 and started to really work with the community. And that\u2019s been so heartening for us as staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mercy interim CEO Mike Murphy said he couldn\u2019t comment about that situation, as he just moved into his new position and was unfamiliar with the details.<\/p>\n

But Murphy said the hospital is now actively using face shields and working on acquiring other equipment like gowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cKudos to the community on figuring out a way to help,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mercy, like nearly every hospital in the country, faces shortages in supplies. But as of now, Murphy said the hospital is in a good position to handle a surge of coronavrius cases, especially with the support of Centura.<\/p>\n

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