New York Needed Ventilators. So They Developed One in a Month.

When a hospital in Italy ran the risk of running out of a medical valve that was necessary to help treat patients suffering from COVID-19, an engineering company stepped in to fill the gap by 3D printing the valve. Choosing "patients over patents," the company was able to mass produce 100 valves – at a fraction of the cost of a regular valve – which have already helped at least 10 patients.

A drone company and Kentucky Homeplace, a University of Kentucky initiative to address rural health, have used drones to deliver personal protective equipment packages to isolated, rural homes that can become inaccessible by road flooding or other bad weather. The flights, called the Jericho Project, so far have served as tests that the sponsors hope will lead to deliveries of medicine and other necessities during natural disasters or simply to speed delivery in remote areas.

What started as a small group of young adults wanting to help their aging parents navigate telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic, is now a multi-state program that provides devices to seniors and low-income people as a way to close the digital divide. The group has grown to over 300 volunteers and partners with local health care providers, who in turn help their patients set up their new devices provided by the organization.

A tension fabric structures manufacturing company in Maine has repurposed their facility and transformed their local workforce to create grade-one medical masks for the local hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because the company uses only U.S.-made materials, they have been able to avoid supply chain interruptions and now plans to continue making masks as part of their standard business model even after the pandemic passes.

Altavian, a Gainesville, Florida based engineering company has figured out how to mass produce reusable N95 masks for healthcare workers using 3D printing technology. The mask – crucial in protecting healthcare workers against COVID-19 – is made from a common material, and with funding from donations, the company is able to produce close to 1,000 each day.

The Special Olympics turned 50 in 2020, but the pandemic has put a damper on their original birthday plans. People with intellectual and physical differences who participate rely on the games for social connection, so many are suffering from the social quarantine. To make up for it, the Special Olympics has moved online—creating an online fitness video series with the WWE. The program, called School of Strength, features exercises and even downloadable interactive toolkits for coaches and caregivers. After initial hurdles, they are now going live twice a week and posting new content daily.

A group of engineers in Madison, Wisconsin designed a face shield using materials and machines that were capable of producing mass quantities of the shields for hospitals. The design is now open-source and accessible to anyone on the web. They have since sent more than 1,000 face shields to the local hospital, and Ford has even picked up the design, pledging to produce more than 75,000 shields to be sent to hospitals in Detroit.

Medical professionals are facing mass shortages of personal protective equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic, so people with 3D printers are helping to produce alternatives. In New York, one company is using a GoFundMe campaign to help fund the production, while the founder of a Czech 3D-printer company developed one of the most downloaded designs for the transparent disposable full-face masks.

A collaboration between Ohio's Wooster City Schools and the College of Wooster has allowed for an enhanced educational experience for many students during the coronavirus pandemic. The partnership not only provides tutoring services to the K-12 students but has also "strengthened the bond between the college and its surrounding community."

Two newly-formed companies in Ohio are the nation's first businesses to create a "fully automated production of woven, washable masks." The project became a reality thanks to partnerships and funding support between state agencies, the Ohio Hospital Association, and a nonprofit consulting group. While the masks aren't medical grade, they are "washable, snug, and easy to take on and off without touching the contaminated part."