He uses his wits to create a necessary product during the health crisis and then donates them to hospitals
With the advent of new technology, school projectors became obsolete, and with it the paper it used — a thin sheet of plastic in transparent flexible material where the teacher used to write and then instruct.
Today, these leaves, which were left aside in warehouses, have the potential to save lives.
Thanks to the ingenuity of Juan Zavala, a resident of Adelanto – a city in San Bernardino County – these transparent sheets, combined with a visor made in a three-dimensional printer and a common garter, become face shields, a tool that protects to medical personnel in their fight against COVID-19.
In the past two weeks, the 21-year-old has produced 422 face shields at the MakerSpace lab, which is located on the premises of the San Bernardino Community College district.
"These protectors are then donated to clinics and hospitals in the region so that medical personnel can continue the fight against this terrible disease. I am honored to be able to help the community, ”he commented in a telephone interview with La Opinion. "What many gave for garbage can now save lives," he added.
According to Ángel Rodríguez, spokesperson for the San Bernardino Community College District, face shields have been donated to Arrowhead Regional Hospital (in Colton); Mountains Community Hospital (on Lake Arrowhead) and local clinics.
They have also been donated to the School Site Police Department and the Providence Medical Group, which operates 10 senior care centers.
When boxes with 50 masks are picked up by hospital representatives, there are no hugs or handshakes due to the social distancing implemented to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Still, Zavala knows that his work is appreciated.
The young man has at his disposal 19 three-dimensional printers. It takes two and a half hours for each print to be ready, which means that in three hours 19 masks could be produced.
“The challenge is for printers to run smoothly. I had to recalibrate each one of them in order to start producing the masks. But yes, technically dozens can be produced in one day ”, he explained.
For now Zavala has enough material at his disposal, but eventually he will need the community to continue producing.
For this reason, it asks the community that if they have this product in their homes, either in the garage or in a box in the attic, donate it to be used.
The Ontario-Montclair Unified School District recently donated 33 boxes of projector paper. So he believes that other school districts could have more.
A ray of hope
The San Bernardino Community College District was the first in the region to produce and donate these masks. From there he has been followed by educational centers such as Moreno Valley Community College, Victor Valley College and Barstow College, said Lisa Kiplinger-Kennedy, regional director of an employment center at high desert and Inland Empire colleges.
As indicated, the 3D printers, Stratasys model, have specifications when printing face shields to be used by the National Institute of Health.
He added that community colleges already work directly with local hospitals because they train many of the nurses, respiratory therapists and other health care workers in California.
“We asked hospitals if they needed these face shields and within two hours we already had orders for up to 3,500 shields. We already have an order of 10,000 and we are available for more, ”he said.
Medical staff rates this work as a ray of hope and the top prize.
Carol Wagner, director of clinical initiatives for the Providence medical group, says having face shields feels like she won the lottery because they offer much-needed protection.
For her part, Renee Limpus, a registered nurse at Mountains Community Hospital, appreciates the response to her call at a critical time in the region.
COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 63 people in the Inland Empire region.
As of Friday alone, that area — made up of San Bernardino and Riverside counties — had recorded 2,079 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
To study and to work
For his part, young Zavala – who has been designated an essential worker by the state of California – plans to continue producing face shields as long as there is
need.
In his break, he says that he studies for his engineering classes at California State University San Bernardino through the Internet.
As a volunteer for his church, he says he has participated in countless charitable events, but that "nothing compares to this work."
"Knowing that these face shields could save lives is priceless," he said.
If you want to support the cause, you can do so by visiting sbccd.org.
