“Without proper facial protection, healthcare workers are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, which could place substantial strain on the healthcare workforce in the months ahead,” said Miko Enomoto, associate professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at OHSU School of Medicine.
When OHSU showed its current face shield, Nike made it a goal to make a similar face shield with Nike-owned materials and manufacturing facilities.
Nike said that it will be repurposing shoe materials such as Nike Air plastic bubble technology to make shields.
The aim is to make not only high-quality shields and lenses but ones that allow a simple model of production, Nike added.
“The full-face shields help protect healthcare workers’ faces and also help to prolong the length we can safely use a surgical or N95 mask,” Enomoto said.
"Nike’s generous response to the COVID-19 crisis helps to instill an added layer of confidence and support for healthcare workers, that we can safely carry out the jobs we were born to do.”
"We are committed to ongoing discussions regarding their efforts to develop prototype face shields to help ensure the safety and well-being of health care professionals.”
Nike shipped its first finished product on April 3 to OHSU.
The company says that their lenses and shields will be donated to health systems in Nike’s World Headquarters region, including Providence, Legacy Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente, and others across the state of Oregon.
New Balance also announced last week that it would manufacture facial masks for hospital workers to fight against the global pandemic.
The brand’s goal is to produce up to 100,000 masks per week at its factories in Lawrence, Massachusetts and Norridgewock, Maine.