There’s activity underway again at the PMAC on LSU’s campus but it’s not the norm. Ashley Arceneaux, Chief of Staff for the President of LSU says the LSU community is working together to support medical providers and the facility has become a production center for PPE, like reusable gowns from billboard vinyl with locally donated materials.
“We are looking at making really reusable protective gowns for frontline physicians to wear, and we’ve worked on that design in partnership with physicians themselves,” says Arceneaux. She says they’ve discovered billboard vinyl can be easily cleaned and sanitized.
Arceneaux says the vinyl is donated by Lamar Advertising and Circle Graphics.
“We’ve got our facility services skilled-labor folks are cutting these out of big giant 600-pound rolls of this vinyl and shaping them into these gowns that will fit any size person that is on the frontline,” says Arceneaux
Also being manufactured are masks from materials donated by Baker Hughes. GOHSEP then takes the gowns and masks that are produced and distributes them to facilities in need.
For health and safety precautions, no more than 40 employees can be in the PMAC at one time, but Arceneaux says it’s a joint effort of hundreds of employees and outside vendors coming together for the greater good.
“It’s really been inspirational to see how many people from how many varied backgrounds and skills and talent sets have come together to really make sure this operation works,” says Arceneaux.
Arceneaux says the project has brought together multiple experts at the university for example engineering, biomedical engineering, medical physics, facilities services and sewing machines from the theater department.