FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. — Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg has made more than 70,000 non-surgical isolation gowns for WellSpan. Production started in early May.
"Which is a protective covering for any type of person in the health care industry," George Coble, Manufacturing and Fabrication Division Chief at Letterkenny Army Depot, said. "They would put it on to protect themselves from any type of fluid transfers."
WellSpan reached out to Letterkenny back in April when it was producing facial coverings for its employees. The two figured out a way to help health care workers.
"We get the plastic material that these are fabricated from," Coble said. "We have a CNC fabric cutter which was re-allocated to use to cut plastic. Very high rate of speed. And then we were able to produce these gowns for WellSpan."
The Letterkenny Army Depot's upholstery shop is where routine repairs of tents and vinyl products are done. Wellspan supplied the raw material. Letterkenny supplied the labor.
"We have a very large skillset of employees," Coble said. "Very knowledgable, and ones that are very willing to do what it takes to get the job done. And when they saw the sign of this pandemic hitting our area, we had people volunteer to do this type of work."
The staff can make anywhere from 4,500 to 9,000 gowns a day. Letterkenny has developed a prototype of a surgical mask that is in the testing phases right now. It hopes to be able to produce those for WellSpan, too.
"I'm very proud of my workforce," Coble said. "If it wouldn't be for their abilities and capabilities, this project wouldn't be a success like it is."