The largest sock maker in the United States is on its way to becoming one of the country’s largest face mask manufacturers as COVID-19 continues to drive demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Mount Airy, N.C.-based Renfro, which produces 20% of all socks purchased in the U.
S., teamed with Wake Forest Baptist Health to design the Nightingale™ WS Protective Mask for Winston-Salem’s “Mask the City” initiative to slow the spread of the virus and is now scaling up production for a new e-commerce site expected to launch May 7, 2020.
“When we decided in the early stages of the pandemic to redirect our manufacturing to produce face masks, we knew we wanted to collaborate with the medical community,” said Stan Jewell, President and CEO, Renfro.
“It was important for us to meet the specific needs of healthcare professionals working on the front lines every day.”
Dr Bill Satterwhite, Chief Wellness Officer at Wake Forest Baptist Health, designed the prototype in partnership with the Renfro team. Hospital staff then wear-tested the Nightingale and provided feedback.
“The nurses and doctors we talked to said all-day comfort was their top priority,” Jewell said.
“They want the masks they’re wearing for hours at a time to be soft, breathable, stretchable and adjustable. Many masks are uncomfortable and can leave markings on the face and even cause allergic reactions – things we didn’t think about at first. We took their comments into account and ended up with what we believe is the perfect mask.
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