Ford Motor Company Donates Face Shields to St. Joseph Health Hospitals in the North Bay

A total of 4,000 face shields manufactured by Ford Motors were donated to St. Joseph Health, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Petaluma Valley Hospital and Queen of the Valley Medical Center for caregivers’ protection last week.

Sonoma County:
Last week, St. Joseph Health, Sonoma County’s Foundation applied to Hansel Auto Group for the donation and last week, the hospital received 3,000 face shields.

”We are very thankful to Hansel Auto Group and Ford Motors for this generous gift that will ensure our caregivers can continue to safely care for our patients,” said Chad Krilich, chief medical officer.

Napa County:
That same day, over the valley in Napa, Dennis Giordano, Senior Supply Chain Manager, who had applied for the same donation, received 1,000 face shields on their loading dock's doorstep.

"Nationwide, hospitals have experienced shortages of personal protective equipment," said Larry Coomes, chief executive at The Queen, who previously served as an executive at Ford for seven years. "Our supply chain team has been working tirelessly to obtain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by every means possible and this is just one example of their hard work that will protect our front-line caregivers."

In addition, Audio House, a car audio and tint shop in Napa made another 50 face shields earlier this week.

"We are so thankful to these two businesses for their thoughtfulness, generosity and responsiveness," said Dennis. "We owe them our gratitude."

Health care workers wear face shields over face masks while treating patients to protect against flying respiratory droplets that can transmit coronavirus, such as from coughs and sneezes and are a one-time use item. As a result, a steady supply is needed.

In addition to these donations, Queen of the Valley health care workers and physical therapists began constructing face shields at the end of last week that will begin to be shipped as needed to St. Joseph Health hospitals across Northern California. Nearly 1,000 have been assembled to date. The hospitals thank all the organizations and individuals who have worked tirelessly to ensure our caregivers are protected.