N.J. Company Mass Producing Hospital Curtains In Fight Against Coronavirus: 'We Look At Ourselves As Part Of The Team'
CLIFTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- They are the essential workers most people don't know about. Employees at a New Jersey company that makes hospital curtains are working around the clock supporting the battle against coronavirus.
They're folding, steaming and stitching in rotating shifts seven days a week. A staff of more than 100, including seamstresses and technicians, are manufacturing hospital curtains at record amounts inside Curtain Care Plus in Clifton, CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported Wednesday.
Co-owner Maison Kirsch said demand is up to five times more than pre-pandemic levels.
"Just like a bed linen, they can harbor bacteria in the actual fabric and it's important that they be serviced and laundered," Kirsch said.
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Kirsch said the patented "hand shield" curtains are essential to front-line medical staff treating coronavirus because they can can disinfect the edges while the patient is in the room.
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The company has supported the Jacob Javits Center field hospital and spaces like lobbies and cafeterias transformed for hospital beds. Drivers also pick up soiled ones as much as three times a week to be specially washed in Clifton.
"Big hospitals, right now they're turning over anywhere between 100 to 150 a day. Smaller hospitals will turn over 40 to 60," director of operations Edwin Heredia said.
"It's more than a job. A lot of the hospitals that we service, we've been with them for over 10 years," he added. "We look at ourselves as part of the team."
A team stitching away, hoping soon we will see the final curtain in the fight against the coronavirus.
