The Quakes and Wells Fargo are humbled and inspired by the amazing work of our frontline communities and neighbors in this time of crisis. Each week, we’ll be featuring and highlighting the work of one fantastic neighborhood hero, showcasing the great work they are doing and the organizations our community can rally around.
Additionally, a donation will be made to an organization or community project on behalf of each week’s hero. This week we will be donating to the Navajo Nation COVID Relief Fund.
Heart valve manufacturing engineer leads face shield production initiative
Heart valve manufacturing engineer Noelle Langmack has been leading a team of Boston Scientific employees to make and assemble face shields for health care workers. Medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific makes innovative medical devices and has mobilized to produce and donate face shields in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—including at the Los Gatos site where Noelle works.
After hearing about shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) in hospitals, Boston Scientific staff began to make adjustments to accommodate their new initiative. Noelle and her coworkers converted office space into a makeshift manufacturing line for face shield production.
So far, Boston Scientific has assembled and donated 1 million face shields for healthcare providers.
“It’s been exhilarating,” says Noelle. The project and the ability to help her community have been motivating her on a daily basis.
Noelle was chosen to spearhead this project, alongside a team of roughly 25 others who have been working diligently on this since the end of March. This impressive manufacturing feat by Noelle and her coworkers is one that normally takes up to eight months; which they have managed to accomplish in a matter of days.
“It's been really amazing to have something to work on that feels like it has a depth of urgency to it,” says Noelle, “Especially in a time where it feels easy to get lost or disconnected from the world.”
Noelle is just one of a handful of dedicated employees who have sacrificed working long days and overtime hours to volunteer with this project. Employees across various Boston Scientific sites have taken on ‘swing shifts’ to help increase production while maintaining safety protocols including social distancing.
The Bay Area sites are also joined by a global Boston Scientific community that has stepped in to help.
“This has been an amazing collaboration of global folks and a global team,” says Noelle.
The face shields they’ve produced have been distributed not only to Bay Area hospitals, but across California and the United States on an as-needed basis by the nonprofit Getusppe.org.
For more information on how Boston Scientific is supporting the global community in light of COVID-19, click here to read their response page.
