Local Companies Supplying Henry Ford Allegiance Health as Hospital Appeals for Donations

Personal Protective Equipment normally used in compressor manufacturing is displayed in the Safety Training Room at MACI. JTV Photo.

(March 28, 2020 4:08 PM) Local companies are helping to supply Henry Ford Allegiance Health and health care workers with necessary supplies during the COVID-19 crisis.

MACI contacted Henry Ford Allegiance Health to offer anything new from their manufacturing supplies that fit their needs. Purchasing and Production Control loaded two pickup trucks and available staff from Information Systems delivered the supplies to the hospital.

MACI was able to donate 4 pallets of protective gear that included safety glasses, rubber gloves, shoe covers, Tyvek sleeves, paper aprons, lint-free wipes and Nitrile gloves.

In a statement, MACI said, “The selfless, courageous health-care professionals working around the clock at HFAH are our neighbors, relatives and family. We are grateful for all they are doing for us now. We are proud to be able to give them anything that will make them safer. We are happy for the chance to say ‘Thank You’ in a tangible way; it’s the least we can do for our community.”

Technique, Inc., a Blackman Township manufacturer that normally does metal stampings, tubing and welding is switching operations in order to make medical supplies for hospitals in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

Technique, Inc. is manufacturing protective face shields after developing a prototype with HFAH. Once production is in full swing, the company plans to produce 2,000 to 5, 000 shields per day.

Alro is a supplier to Technique for metals and plastics used in the manufacture of the face shields.

Grand River Brewery supplied HFAH with two 55-gallon drums of hand sanitizer. John Burtka, Grand River Brewery owner told JTV they were able to use supplies normally used in the distillery process. Burtka says GRB is a small-batch distiller and they used up all their supplies to make the hand sanitizer. If they can obtain more raw materials, they hope to continue supplying the hospital.

The brewery used a World Health Organization formula, blending ethanol, glycerol, hydrogen peroxide and distilled water to make the hand sanitizer.

Brewery employees who had been laid off the week before volunteered to come in, make the sanitizer, load a truck and deliver to the hospital.

Henry Ford Allegiance Health is appealing to the community for supplies. They are asking for:

New and Unused Only

• Disposable face masks

• N95 masks, sometimes called respirators

• Eye protection including face shields and safety goggles

• Disposable gowns

• Disposable gloves, especially non-latex

• Disposable surgical caps

• Disposable foot covers

• Wipes: bleach or antimicrobial