By Laura Michell
A Northern Health employee’s search for a business to make plastic face shields for frontline healthcare workers has helped keep an Epping business afloat.
Northern Health respiratory department lab manager and head scientist Nicholas Romeo began searching for a local face mask manufacturer after hearing about a potential need for large quantities of personal protective equipment during a discussion with the head of the respiratory department, Dr Katharine See.
Mr Romeo cold-called a few local plastic folder manufacturers and came across Victor Stoyanaski.
Mr Stoyanaski, who has run Norbind Plastics for 28 years and already supplies Northern Hospital with the plastic folders used at the end of beds, said he was initially sceptical of Mr Romeo’s proposal, but decided he had nothing to lose.
He said at the time Mr Romeo called, he had already stood down the majority of his staff, working them in rotation.
After just a few days, Mr Stoyanaski had developed a prototype to show stakeholders including emergency department and theatre physicians.
He was able to deliver his first order of face shields within the week and is now in the process of delivering another 10,0000 to Northern Health.
Mr Stoyanaski said now he had the first order under his belt, he was investing in machinery to make cutting the material quicker. He has received inquiries for the masks from Melbourne and interstate.
“I want to make it more efficient and then ramp up production,” he said.
“If not for Nicholas, I would be facing a very different business scenario.
“On behalf of my team and myself, I can’t thank Northern Health enough for thinking of local business at a challenging time like this for all of us.
“It’s true what they say: We are all in this together.”
Northern Health chief financial officer Basil Ireland thanked Mr Romeo and Dr See for pursuing the initiative.
“We’re grateful for your resourcefulness and are glad we can support a local business,” he said.
