Filling PPE gaps one visor at a time

(Photo courtesy of Bluestone Sunshields)

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline workers have found it difficult to acquire sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, some unlikely heroes have stepped up to adapt their own products to help fill these gaps.

One such company is Bluestone Sunshields, which produces sun visors intended to protect from ultraviolet (UV) rays and has now crossed over into optimizing them as clear face shields. The company has also started producing glasses that can be used when wearing a mask.

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"This was personal to me. My roots are in the medical community, I have family in law enforcement, and I have deep ties to the fashion and retail communities. People from all of these groups were telling me about a shortage in PPE and I knew we could adapt our product into something functional and comfortable,” says Jen Podany, esthetician, founder and CEO of Bluestone Sunshields.

Podany initially launched Bluestone after noticing a need for extra UV protection and privacy in patients who received treatments that led to increased sunlight sensitivity while working with dermatologists in Los Angeles, according to a press release.¹

Following its market introduction, Bluestone’s products have been highlighted in national magazines such as Shape and Women’s Health for their contribution to the sun protection industry.²

Now, the company has shifted its production and has since donated over 4,000 face shields and glasses to their local healthcare workers and hospitals.

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"When COVID-19 hit, I realized that doctors, nurses and others needed our shields to help patients, so we immediately created clear face shields and donated 4,000 to help those battling on the frontline such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, and UW Medicine hospitals in Seattle," Podany says.

Now with more states beginning the reopening process and more people coming back to work, the need for PPE is increasing. To help fill that need, Bluestone is now offering their face shields and glasses to businesses who wish to ensure customer and employee safety.

"We've had calls from commercial real estate owners, restaurants, department stores and other retailers who want the shields to provide tenants and shoppers an extra and very visual safety barrier against COVID-19 along with masks," Podany says.

More information about Bluestone Sunshields can be found at bluestonesunshields.com.

References:

1. Bluestone Sunshields. (2020, May 21). Bluestone Sunshields Expands Offering from Fashionable Sun Protection to Functional Safety Wear as Businesses Begin Re-opening [Press release]. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
2. Press. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2020, from https://www.bluestonesunshields.com/blog