INL donated 4800 face shields to fight COVID-19

When the pandemic stroke, the front-line healthcare workers and first responders were the ones who felt the hardest impact of the disease, having to treat thousands of patients who carried a highly contagious virus with them.

Some of those workers were infected too, and soon the urgent need for reliable personal protective equipment became self-evident. Although this was not within our scope or usual activity, INL used its laser cutting equipment to provide 4800 face shields to professionals who needed it the most, in Portugal and Spain, reaching a total of 33 institutions. Six Spanish organizations got 1600 units, and 27 Portuguese got the other 3200. Hospitals had the highest needs, reaching the 2250 face shields donated by INL, followed by the Portuguese Red Cross with 900, Nursing Homes with 800, 550 for Health Centres, 250 for Firemen, and 50 to the Police.

Since INL has its own protection needs, another 300 were destined to INLers, and 950 are kept in stock, totalling 6050 face shields made. The project was initiated by João Gaspar and Hugo Cortez with full support from INL Directorate, and involved dozens of volunteers from several teams at INL, to protect the personnel working in the following institutions:

Spain:

  • Hospital de Vigo (Álvaro Cunqueiro)

  • Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Pontevedra

  • Hospital de Santiago de Compostela

  • Hospital de Ourense

  • Esclavas de la Virgen Dolorosa

  • Fundación Pública Urxencias Sanitarias de Galicia-061

Portugal:

  • Hospital de Braga

  • Asilo de São José

  • Bombeiros Voluntários de Braga

  • Projeto Homem Braga

  • Guarda Nacional Republicana - Porto

  • Hospital de Guimarães

  • Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa – Braga

  • Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa - Rio Caldo (Gerês)

  • Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa – Portugal Headquarters

  • Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Braga

  • Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Barcelos

  • Centro Social de Dornelas

  • Bombeiros Voluntários de Amares

  • Unidade de Cuidados Continuados "O Poverello"

  • Centro Social da Paróquia de Ferreiros

  • Bombeiros Voluntários Ponte de Lima

  • Lar Casa Santa Marta Chaves

  • Bombeiros Sapadores de Braga

  • Santa Casa da Misericordia de Viseu

  • Hospital Santa Casa da Misericórdia Vila Verde

  • UCSP Melgaço

  • Serviço de Pediatria Oncológica do C. H. S. João

  • Casa de Caridade Nossa Srª da Conceição

  • Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde de Barcelos/Esposende

COVID-19, INL PICKS, SCALE EXPERIENCES, RESEARCHINL - Communication TeamCOVID-19, face shields