Jacksonville nonprofit builds plastic face shields to help with PPE shortage

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local nonprofit is building plastic face shields to help keep workers on the frontline of the pandemic safe.

Renaissance Jax donated more than 4,000 face shields to UF Health Jacksonville Thursday afternoon to help protect frontline workers from coronavirus.

“We’re making lemonade, we just got a giant orchard full of lemons and now we’re employing people to make medical devices,” said Founder of Renaissance Jax CEO M

According to its website, the non-profit offers programs for local students looking to make a career in engineering and technology.

“Plastic was donated through another nonprofit that partners with us, we got plastic driven to Jacksonville, worked with a machine shop to cut it into useable rolls and then we started to die stamping it in the Renaissance Jax machine shop,” McComb said.

Mccombs said in less than two weeks, they were in business making thousands of masks.

He says the face shields are easy to put on and comfortable to wear.

“Now we can make 138,000 in about three months’ time, 10,000 a week is what we’re anticipating,” said McCombs.

UF Health Jacksonville Director of Supply Chirstopher Mele says the donation will help save lives.

“As this mixes in with the flu season and that’s what every hospital is doing right now is they’re trying to keep as much PPE as they possibly can for a second wave,” Mele said.

With personal protective equipment running low for doctors and nurses around the country, McCombs and his team are stepping in to help those on the frontline and those who are currently unemployed.

“Some of the funds that we are raising, we have turned around and reemployed furloughed workers,” McCombs said.

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