Shown from left are: Dallas Kiwanis members Liz Martin, Duane Frank, Beverly Atherholt, Glenn Patrick; W-B General Hospital CEO Dale Johns; Kiwanis member Mary Rodriguez, RN; Alfonso Rodriguez, MD FASN Adfinitas Health, Nursing Director Warren Shotto, ICU Nursing Director Bob Sapiego, Chief of Surgery Mark Schiowitz, Kiwanis member Abby Patrick, Adfinitas Health Regional Manager/Partner Louis Boyle, DO.

Shown from left are: Dallas Kiwanis members Liz Martin, Duane Frank, Beverly Atherholt, Glenn Patrick; W-B General Hospital CEO Dale Johns; Kiwanis member Mary Rodriguez, RN; Alfonso Rodriguez, MD FASN Adfinitas Health, Nursing Director Warren Shotto, ICU Nursing Director Bob Sapiego, Chief of Surgery Mark Schiowitz, Kiwanis member Abby Patrick, Adfinitas Health Regional Manager/Partner Louis Boyle, DO.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) has been in short supply for front-line health care workers.

This spring, during the early days of widespread quarantine, and in an effort to help address the shortage experienced by area medical personnel, recent Penn State engineering graduates banded together to create 3-D printed visors to be used in the assembly process for medical face shields.

The students first addressed shortages for the ICU units within the Lehigh Valley Hospital System, and then looked for another similar project. One of the students responsible for the visors, Dallas native Robert Martin, proposed the idea to his mother, Dallas Kiwanis member Liz Martin. During a conversation with retired RN and fellow Kiwanis member Mary Rodriguez, the need for PPE at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital was discussed. This discussion prompted a second donation of 132 visors to the Kiwanis Club to be assembled and donated locally.

Materials to properly assemble the shields were donated by AMP Global Strategies, of Shavertown. Dallas Kiwanis members facilitated the assembly process under the guidance of Mrs. Rodriguez. Her husband, Alfonso Rodriguez, MD FASN of Adfinitas Health and General Hospital’s Executive Committee, enabled the connection between the Dallas Kiwanis and Mark Schiowitz, MD, Chief of Surgery at General Hospital and member of the General Hospital Executive Committee, Louis O’Boyle, DO, Regional Medical Director and Partner of Adfinitas Health and member of the General Hospital Executive committee, and Dale Johns, CEO of the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Campus of CHS.

The finished face shields were formally donated on Friday, October 9th, appropriately in front of the “Heroes Work Here” sign outside General Hospital.