Century Mold, a local auto parts manufacturing company, received a call on Friday, March 20th from Rochester Regional Health executives asking for help with medical face shields for their staff to help them stay safe while treating patients during the Covid Pandemic. Although this was different than what Century Mold typically manufacturers, Executive Vice President Terry Hodge and his team were eager to help and lend their expertise.
Their Tooling Manager, Rocco Pizzarello, met with the Rochester Regional’s head of surgery and anesthesiology to see exactly what could be improved on the masks. Within 24 hours of the initial call, Century came up with a prototype design that was safer than the version that is currently being used. It nearly doubles the amount of protection by covering the face from the ear to tucking below the chin. This new design provides less risk of transmission especially for providers who are looking down at a patient in a hospital bed. Within four days Century Mold designed and manufactured masks that are now being used in local hospitals. These masks are being mass-produced. Century is making approximately 2,500 masks a day and plans to deliver 25,000 to Rochester Regional Health. They have enough supplies to manufacture 100,000 masks according to CEO Ron Ricotta.
“We named this the Halo Program. The name was chosen because the shield provides a headpiece like a halo, but also because the people who they are made for are our angels,” Hodge said.
