PETOSKEY – Petoskey Plastics, a Northern Michigan manufacturing company, has begin manufacturing 10,000 gowns per day to supply McLaren Health Care hospitals across the state.
“This urgent, proactive action by Petoskey Plastics will help maintain the safety of thousands of patients and staff across the state of Michigan,” said Todd Burch, chief executive officer of McLaren Northern Michigan. “Petoskey Plastics is setting an example for what Michigan manufacturers can do to support health care institutions during this crisis.”
Isolation gowns are used to protect health care workers’ arms and exposed body areas and prevent contamination of clothing with blood, body fluids and other potentially infectious material.
The gowns are critical to mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Like hospitals across the country, McLaren Northern Michigan anticipates a significant disruption in supply chain and a shortage of supplies including isolation gowns in the coming weeks.
Petoskey Plastics currently produces blood and viral barrier protective films, autoclave and biohazard bags for large national accounts and distributors. They are modifying their current equipment normally used to produce protective automotive seat covers to be able to produce these isolation gowns using similar materials and technology.
In addition, McLaren Northern Michigan is in communication with several other local manufacturers and has products in development that may serve as alternatives to normal supplies.
Each of these alternative products are being vetted by the McLaren Health Care infection control team to ensure they will adequately protect staff as they are caring for the community.
