**** NSHA Media Release
Stanfield’s Limited of Truro to produce protective gowns for province’s health care workers
Nova Scotia Health Authority has signed a contract with Stanfield’s Limited of Truro, Nova Scotia to purchase protective gowns for health care workers in the province. Production is beginning this week with the first gowns to be delivered the week of April 15.
The company is recalling more than 70 workers today, April 7, and has a call to the community for workers hoping to double output within a matter of weeks, said Jon D.F. Stanfield, president and CEO, Stanfield’s Limited. The factory will be reset to accommodate 72 people per shift for two shifts.
“We are extremely excited to shift our production to support frontline healthcare workers in Nova Scotia,” Stanfield said. “The Nova Scotia government recognized the important of local manufacturing and they are obviously supportive of getting people back to work.
“I am very pleased NSHA will procure a level of their isolation gown demand from Stanfield’s. We have been in Nova Scotia since the 1870’s, and we are proud to support Nova Scotians and Canadians in the battle against COVID19.”
With the number of cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia increasing daily and the expectation that we will see more people requiring hospital care as a result of the disease, we know the need for frontline health care workers to use personal protective equipment will also increase, said Dr. Brendan Carr, president and CEO, NSHA.
“As this pandemic has arrived in Nova Scotia, we have been very heartened to see the community support for our health care staff, including remarkable efforts by local manufacturers such as Stanfield’s to quickly shift their focus to produce critical equipment to support the care of those most affected,” Dr. Carr said. “This innovation and community-mindedness will help see us through these difficult times.”
Under the agreement, Stanfield’s will produce 30,000 gowns per week to be used by NSHA and IWK Health Centre staff as required by infection prevention standards. NSHA’s infection prevention and control team has supported the configuration and standards to be used in the factory during production.
