More than 750 hospital-style gowns have been made and delivered, as of May 31, by a community-based, University-led network that is responding to the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The gowns are now being used by staff and visitors at Renown Health facilities in northern Nevada.
When the need for more hospital gowns became known, the Makerspace at the University of Nevada, Reno Innevation Center—Powered By Switch responded. Creating and collaborating are part of the everyday culture at the Innevation Center, and in this case the effort began by reaching out to Nevada Industry Excellence (NVIE), the statewide Manufacturing Extension Partnership program hosted by the University and based in the Innevation Center.
With NVIE’s connections, the network of collaborators grew to include local manufacturer Via Seating, which employs…
