Mattress company adjusts SC shop operations to upgrade in-demand masks for hospitals
When news spread that hospitals needed more masks for healthcare workers to protect themselves during the coronavirus epidemic, a mattress company wanted to find a way to help.
Hunter Mottel, the director of manufacturing operations for Sleep Number, a high-end bedding company based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, reached out to S.C. Manufacturers’ Alliance to see how the company could contribute. The company has a factory in Irmo, just outside of the state’s capital where several major hospitals are located.
Nationally there has been a shortage of personal protective equipment, such as N95 masks, which prevent airborne particles and liquid from contaminating the face of the wearer, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The masks have been in higher demand during the coronavirus outbreak.
To help, Sleep Number agreed to make sure masks were in the best condition to be used.
“Sleep Number is purpose driven company,” Mottel said. “Our mission is to improve lives. We see this to core to who we are. We’re able to help our front line folks right now, our health care workers who are fighting the battle they are fighting.”
Around the same time, the S.C. Hospital Association reached out to Phenix Engineered Textiles in Landrum, which produces medical grade elastic that could be used for the masks. Prisma Health System already had masks in stock for disaster preparations but health professionals wanted to make sure the masks had new elastic bands when being worn, hospital system officials said.
“You had a perfectly good mask, it just didn’t have a way to be held onto the face,” said Phenix CEO Rod Grandy. Grandy said.
“We have the material, but we don’t cut it, we don’t sew it. We’re a component provider,” he added.
Grady and Mottel soon connected to see whether they could work together to upgrade the masks.
After finding a solution, roughly 190,000 masks are now being retrofitted for Prisma Health and MUSC Florence. Phenix is donating 50,000 to 75,000 yards of elastic.
“It was in our inventory, and it’s just one of those things, it’s not a high priced product anyway. It’s pretty inexpensive by the yard, and it kind of seemed like the right thing to do,” Grandy said.
Sleep Number has dedicated 13 industrial sewing machines and employees to run each of the machines to attach two 10-inch pieces of elastic to the masks.
“Every available machine that could do this work right now, is doing that work,” Mottel said.
Sleep Number agreed to only charge Prisma for the labor for its effort, which it expects will take a few weeks to complete. The company plans to make more if needed.
“As long as we have elastic and there’s a need, we will continue to answer that call,” Mottel said.
The additional masks will be useful to help ensure COVID-19 doesn’t spread in hospitals.
Prisma’s said its share of the retrofit order is 170,000 N-95 respirator masks it has in stock in preparation for a pandemic, but the system wanted to be sure the masks would safely protect employees.
“We wanted to make sure there was a brand new strap,” said Christopher Powell, director of Engineering and Support Services for Prisma Health in the Midlands.
“We’re thankful and this company would be so generous to work with us,” Powell added.
Because Prisma is only paying for the labor associated with the project, the hospital system agreed to donate 10% of the masks to the South Carolina Healthcare Coalition to distribute.
Prisma Health announced on Wednesday while speaking to legislators that any employee that interacts with a patient, in any form, would now be wearing masks to protect against spreading the virus.
Sleep Number and Phenix aren’t the only companies trying to help. Companies around the state are chipping in to ensure the safety of workers on the front lines.
Tara Grinna Swimwear factory in Conway has started replacing elastic in masks for a hospital as well. There also are inmates at the Leath Correctional institution in Greenwood and Camille Graham Correctional Institution in Columbia, making more than 1,000 masks every day to assist in fill the supply shortage.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it.
Click the drop-down icon on this card for more on the virus and what you should do to keep yourself and those around you healthy.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death.
Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people.
For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus?
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms.
COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 3:12 PM.