Help Protect our Medical & Emergency Heroes with Protective Face Shields

Our medical and emergency responders are facing COVID-19 head on, and they need our help!

ShieldsUp are an organisation started from the urgent outcry from our medical and emergency community to help service the lack of PPE as they faced COVID-19, often without the protective equipment they needed to keep themselves safe.

We are a collective of volunteers, using 3D printing, laser-cutting and manufacturing technologies to produce face shields to help protect our brave front-line. In less than ten days, we became a team of over 200 volunteers, printing and distributing thousands of shields to our medical & emergency community. Less than ten days in and we had requests for over 25,000 units and this number is growing by the day.

Medical facilities are facing shortage on a global scale, and demand for personal protection items is huge. Advised by our local District Health Boards and backed with support from many doctors and medical staff, our community is currently producing wearable face shields as quickly as possible to satisfy current demand. We are also on standby to start producing other life saving equipment such as ventilators should we be advised and approved to do so.

BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP! We need funding for the raw materials required to protect as many of our front-line as possible.

Funding will be handled by an existing charity TAP LAB Incorporated, a West Auckland based entity already in the maker space. Funds will be used to provide any pledged makers with the required materials to manufacture the necessary items, as well as fund all the logistical aspects of distribution. Any surplus funding will be donated back to families affected by the impacts of COVID-19.

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS?

If you are a medical professional or know of medical professional who could be in need, please have them submit a request for some Shields Up, via this form: https://shieldsup.org.nz/request-face-shields/ THIS IS FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ONLY, WE ARE UNABLE TO SUPPLY ANY PERSONAL USE CASES UNTIL OUR FRONT-LINE WORKERS NEEDS ARE MET.

WANT TO HELP?

If you have access to, or own a 3D printer, laser cutter capable of cutting thin sheet plastics or CNC routing equipment capable of machining acrylic or similar, and would like to take part in this manufacturing movement, or have admin, logistics, comms or any other skills or just a desire to help, please head to https://shieldsup.org.nz/volunteer-to-help/. There's a huge amount of work to do and we'd love to have you onboard!

For more information about this project please visit our dedicated website: https://shieldsup.org.nz/

Numbers Update 31/03/2020

Built a webapp to connect medical staff in need to a local maker

Secured supply of clear shields and had 9,000 cut

Setup main hubs in regions to expedite comms and distribution to 3d Printers

Delivered over 2,000 shields to the community

Built a wiki

Grew to 742 makers and 22,000 requests from medical professionals for face shields

Implemented a safety team to check we're taking correct steps on sterilization.