JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A company based in Arlington is now making face shields and masks for those on the frontlines of COVID-19.
First Coast Home Pros, which offers a variety of home improvement services, is now making personal protective equipment for local health care heroes.
Inside its upholstery shop, employees are making face shields and masks.
“We’ve been able to produce a couple hundred in a day,” said Josh Kennedy, manager and president of First Coast Home Pros.
Kennedy said the Arlington based-company specializes in home improvement services but is now stepping up to help health care workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus.
“We’re operating as we’re allowed to, but some of the services are hitting pretty hard, so if we have the opportunity to put people to work at different things,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said his team uses foam, clear projector sheets, double-sided tape and elastic, but with high demand, some products are becoming more difficult to find.
First Coast Home Pros has also made 1,000 sewn cloth masks for the community.
“This has changed life for everybody, but mostly for those on the frontlines, and this is an incredible opportunity for those and we have the resources we have people and this is something that we can do to pitch in,” Kennedy said.
So far, First Coast Home Pros has made more than 660 face shields, which UF Health will be picking up on Thursday, and the plan is to continue helping those on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic by making more PPE to donate.
“We’re just delighted and honored to put those supplies to work and everyone notes that PPE is very hard to come by these days, so we’ve had many companies including First Coast Home Pros, who are making face shields for us, making masks and we’ve also had more than 50 partners step up in providing meals,” said Kimberly Jones, with UF Health Jacksonville.
Jones said the face shields donated to the hospital are saving lives.
"We should all be really proud of the community in which we live because they’ve responded in unprecedented ways," Jones said.
UF Health Jacksonville said it is grateful for the outpouring of support it has here in Jacksonville in our community -- from Girl Scouts donating cookies to restaurants donating food, as well as local companies donating PPE supplies.
If your organization or company would like to help UF Health by donating, click here.