Equipment given to PUCRS partners including São Lucas Hospital
Photo: Release
Earlier this month, defense giant Taurus and GRU Project donated more 2,000 face shields to several institutions, including HSL – PUCRS’ São Lucas Hospital, School of Health and Life Sciences’ dental care patients, 13 other Marist social actions as well as health organizations. This effort to meet the University’s health and social demands and help partner entities, hospitals and clinics for child and elderly care is one of the actions that are being undertaken by some of Tecnopuc’s laboratories, such as Tecnopuc Fablab, Tecnopuc Usalab and Tecnopuc Crialab, and Center for Scientific and Technological Support of PUCRS (Ideia). If you are interested, please complete the form available here.
According to Flavia Fiorin, Tecnopuc’s executive who is responsible for managing the demands of the laboratories, more than 6,000 face shield have been donated, including those produced at Tecnopuc Fablab and donations from GRU Project and partners. The way Flavia sees it, to date there have been more than 130 demands from society and as many as 45 institutions serviced and 28 others in service. “More than 18,000 face shield have been requested. 16 other companies have requested assistance for product development. We are serving several health care and social institutions, such as PUCRS’ São Lucas Hospital, Hospital de Pronto Socorro, geriatric homes, among others,” she says.
HSL has received over 500 face shield donated by GRU Project. According to Izadora Silveira, Manager of the Hospital’s Fundraising and Projects, these contributions and the acts of solidarity are fundamental in facing the pandemic. “Fortunately, in the midst of the difficulties and developments of the Covid-19, people and businesses take actions to help. We are so thankful for each of these acts, which make a lot of difference”, she celebrates.
Another 500 units were given to the dental care service of PUCRS’ School of Health and Life Sciences. According to the Dean of the School, Dr. Luciano Castro, “All courses include intense laboratory practices and public services. Therefore, it is very important that we are prepared to provide maximum safety to all people involved in these activities. Obviously, not all practicum work conducted at the School require this type of protection, but we are getting ready for it”. The Dean further reinforces that “this is a small action within a major movement that PUCRS has endeavored in an effort to provide high levels of security, once face-to-face activities can be resumed.”
Equipment was delivered to HSL / Photo: Release/Tecnopuc
The face shields were donated by the GRU Project, an initiative for the development of face shields, formed by a group based on the quadruple helix: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS); companies such as Taurus, Stihl Ferramentas Motorizadas, Controil do Grupo Randon, Aços Peças Oliveira and others; society; and the Army.
The project includes four phases: the first brought together researchers from UFRGS, and sought to produce face shields using 3D printing in the LIFEE, LAMEF and LDSM laboratories of UFRGS’ School of Engineering. Different models of prototypes were manufactured and usability tests were carried out by the University’s School of Architecture in several hospitals. The final project was composed of a forehead, closing clip and visors. UFRGS Professor, Dr. Carla ten Caten, points out that “the University was important both in the beginning, in the development and optimization, and in connecting different actors, mainly in fundraising and donations”.
In phase 2, it involved society, with donations for the purchase of raw materials and visors. The Fundo Centenário, in partnership with the Fundação Empresa from UFRGS’ School of Engineering (FEENG), carried out a donation campaign and collected BRL 75,000 from people for the purchase of visors. The GRU project also received donations from entities: União Gaúcha em Defesa da Previdência Social e Pública donated BRL 15,000.00 to purchase visors; Fundo UNICRED through Grupo Brothers in Arms donated BRL 4,000.000.00 to purchase raw materials; The Court of Justice of the State of Rio Grande do Sul donated BRL 127,000.00 to purchase raw materials and visors; Souza Cruz donated 63,000 visors.
Phase 3 is being led by Alexandre de Moura Duarte, from the company Making.All, and includes large-scale manufacturing by partner companies: Taurus, Stihl Ferramentas Motorizadas, Controil of Grupo Randon, Aços Peças Oliveira and others. Taurus manufactured 60,000 full face shields, which have already been delivered to hospitals, the State Health Department and the Civil Defense, throughout Rio Grande do Sul. The company Stihl Ferramentas Motorizadas is manufacturing 250,000 headers and Controil 50,000 clips that will be assembled with the visors made possible by the donor entities.
Finally, phase 4 is led by the Armed Forces and the Comando Conjunto Sul of the Ministry of Defense in the context of Operação Covid-19. Its mission is to clean and assemble face shields at the facilities of Taurus.
