JobsOhio and Battelle Announce Partnership in Supplying N95 Masks to Ohio Health Care Workforce

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today, JobsOhio and Battelle announced a partnership to provide vital N95 respirator masks to health care professionals at Ohio hospitals, nursing homes and other medical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. FDA-approved systems developed by Battelle are now capable of sanitizing tens of thousands of masks a day. JobsOhio has agreed to subsidize up to $250,000 toward the first two-week supply of the personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers and first responders at no cost.

“Our partnership with Battelle highlights the creativity of Ohio’s private sector in finding solutions for the urgent PPE supply shortage facing Ohio’s health care workers during the COVID-19 outbreak,” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and chief executive officer. “We will continue working with innovative companies such as Battelle to bring more PPE to market to better take care of those who are taking care of us.”

The Critical Care Decontamination System™ technology developed by Battelle uses concentrated, vapor phase hydrogen peroxide (VPHP) and works by exposing used respirator masks to the validated concentration level for 2.5 hours to decontaminate biological contaminates, including SARS-CoV-2. This allows individual masks to be reused up to 20 times as opposed to being discarded after only one use.

“We’re thankful for the partnership with JobsOhio in meeting this urgent need in Ohio,” said Ed Grecco, Battelle’s Chief Financial Officer. “Providing our frontline health care personnel with personal protective equipment as they work to keep us safe is an initiative we are proud to be a part of.”

Battelle currently has systems in Ohio, Long Island, N.Y., Seattle, Boston and Brooklyn, N.Y. with plans to send more to areas in need. Healthcare providers can visit the Battelle website for information on the logistical process for submitting masks for decontamination. 

Ohio manufacturers that may be able to temporarily repurpose PPE are asked to visit repurposingproject.com.

About JobsOhio 
JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio though Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Ohio Southeast, One Columbus, Dayton Development Coalition, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About Battelle
Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle makes the world better by commercializing technology, giving back to our communities, and supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.

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SOURCE JobsOhio