California Senator Steven Bradford (35th District) secured 1,000 face shields produced by CSUDH students with 3D printing to protect CIR/SEIU Resident Physicians at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center who are on the frontlines of the pandemic.
The face shields will protect medical professionals during procedures that might expose them to blood or other infectious fluids, and support their own health and safety as they work with COVID-19 positive patients.
“The face shields being donated are life-saving protective gear for our doctors and our communities. Harbor-UCLA serves some of the most vulnerable members of our community and ensuring their safety is extremely important to me,” said Senator Bradford. “We have labor, doctors, students, and university systems all working together to protect this community and ensure everyone is safe and taken care of in this unpredictable and scary time in our lives. That is something we can all be proud of.”
The face shields were produced under the direction of Dr. Kamal Hamdan, Annenberg-endowed professor and director of the Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE). Hamdan heeded the call for face shields from health care professionals and immediately began working with students to produce the shields with CISE’s large bank of 3D printers, with the capability to produce at least 100 shields per hour.
The production of face shields for Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is one several efforts at CSUDH to produce and supplement supplies for healthcare professionals and the community. Senator Bradford pledged $5000 to the California State University Dominguez Hills Philanthropic Foundation to assist with the costs of making the face shields.
“Supporting communities experiencing crisis is deeply rooted in CSU Dominguez Hills’ culture,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. “The work that Dr. Hamdan and the students are doing stems from a mission-driven desire to help others, and is guided by their years of experience applying learned skills and knowledge to better people’s lives in the broader community, and now to support and protect healthcare workers confronting this global pandemic. This is an authentic illustration about why what we do on this campus matters to this community and region of the state.”
“Resident physicians at Harbor-UCLA are extremely grateful for this donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). As front line providers, we are doing everything we can to care for our communities during this pandemic,” said CIR/SEIU Regional Vice President Dr. Erica Barrios. “We thank Senator Bradford, as well as the students and faculty at California State University, Dominguez Hills for stepping up in this difficult time and helping us secure this important protective equipment.”
