Protective boxes are provided at no cost
Rob Harding and David Johnson, both of the Charleston, S.C. area, have teamed up to produce a vital piece of equipment for medical personnel fighting the COVID-19 virus. The three-sided acrylic intubation boxes provide protection to doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists as they intubate patients suffering from the disease.
Harding, who is an engineer at Nucor Steel came up with the plans. He teamed up with Johnson, who owns TAG Boats, to build a handful with materials and equipment in the boat-building shop. After putting some in the hands of local medical facilities, the word got out, and requests from others began pouring in.
On April 9 Cameron Wimberly, whose husband, Dr. Jason Wimberly is an anesthesiologist at Trident Medical Center, posted a thank you to Harding and Johnson with a photo of one of the intubation boxes, briefly explaining its importance for medical staff. Within hours, Harding and Johnson had received hundreds of requests from other medical staff and clinics.
Many of these requests simply stated “We need one. How much do they cost and when can we get one?” Harding and Johnson vowed to not make a dime from doing their part to help.
Harding also provides free plans so anyone can make the boxes
“Rob drew up the plans and David helped make them in the TAG boat shop,” said Brian Carroll of Marine Marketing Group, the marketing company of TAG Boats. “After Cameron’s social media post went viral, hundreds of requests for the shields flooded in. Rob and David want to make as many as they can without charging anyone a dime. But the huge number of requests put them in a bind. They simply couldn’t afford the material to make that many.”
Each acrylic sheet alone costs $140. But the two decided to push forward, building what they could afford. They also set up a GoFundMe account to allow others to donate to the cause. Every dime raised will be used to purchase materials for these boxes. And every box will remain free to medical personnel.
“We want to help do our part in the community. And we don’t want to have to charge anyone or any hospital in a time of need. We are just trying to figure a way to get these into the hands that need them,” said Harding.
Click here for a link to their Acrylic Intubation Shields GoFundMe page.
Aside from making these boxes themselves, Harding also created a page on instructables.com, showing anyone with access to a CNC router how to craft the boxes on their own. Click here to see the plans.
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