Shields on Wheels: Portable Protection for Clinicians

For Alison Craig, chief of staff at Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin, the health and safety of her staff is a top priority. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her clinic had a limited supply of personal protective equipment, and she saw they were at risk of running out entirely.

“I had a lot of sleepless nights,” Craig said. Then, she had an idea for preventing her staff from virus exposure.

In mid-March, Craig found a photo of a South Korean healthcare worker using a plexiglass barrier and thought, “we can do that.” She worked with GHC’s facilities supervisor to create a rolling barrier that allows providers to test patients for COVID-19 without droplet exposure. This conserves low PPE supplies, particularly in GHC’s outpatient clinics.

Craig tweeted an image of the shield and was surprised to receive thousands of positive responses. She’s since shared a specifications document, and the design is free for others to replicate.

“This is really about trying to spread ideas of hope and spark innovative thinking during a really, really scary time,” Craig said.

Read more in The Cap Times.