MOUNT AIRY, N.C., May 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North Carolina natives Renfro Corporation and Wake Forest Baptist Health teamed up to design and manufacture the Nightingale™ Mask to help communities across the country combat the spread of COVID-19. The Nightingale™ face mask was designed to help consumers abide by the CDC’s recommendation to wear cloth face coverings, and was tested by medical professionals to ensure superior fit, reusability and protection. The mask is manufactured in the USA.
“Renfro’s century of experience combined with facilities that are uniquely suited to produce textiles at great scale - along with Wake Forest Baptist Health’s medical expertise - enabled us to swiftly convert our manufacturing equipment over to face mask production and commercialize the product in ten days,” shared Stan Jewell, President & CEO of Renfro Corporation. “This speed and scale are allowing us to produce more than one million masks every week, and we plan to continue doing so for the foreseeable future.”
“The Nightingale™ Mask features an innovative tri-zone ergonomic design, superior comfort, protective properties, and is washable and reusable,” added William M. Satterwhite, III, JD, MD, Chief Wellness Officer at Wake Forest Baptist Health. “Our early internal research identified a wide range of particle filtration efficiencies of various materials in face masks, both homemade and commercially manufactured. Consequently, we were able to use this knowledge to work with Renfro to develop a product in which we have high confidence. Additionally, we created a unique design that addresses common problems in most face masks: a lack of breathability, discomfort caused by elastic straps, and a mask shape that conforms poorly to the wearer’s face. As a result, the final product features soft, adjustable ties for a secure and customizable fit, and nose and mouth pockets to increase breathability and comfort, and yet is constructed of high-performing materials. We are very proud of the product we brought to life together with Renfro.”
The Nightingale™ Mask may be purchased for $7.50 at www.nightingalesafe.com.
This announcement comes after Renfro and Wake Forest Baptist Health’s collaboration on the first batch of Nightingale™ face masks, 390,000 of which were distributed throughout Winston-Salem, NC, as part of the city’s Mask the City initiative this past April.
About Renfro Corporation
Renfro Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture, marketing, merchandising and selling of legwear products in North America and selected international markets. Renfro provides a full line of branded and private label legwear products and is the licensee for leading brands such as Fruit of the Loom, Dr. Scholl’s, Carhartt, Russell, Sperry and Merrell®. Renfro also designs, manufactures, markets and distributes our owned brands including K. Bell, Copper Sole and Hot Sox.
About the Nightingale™ Mask
The Nightingale Mask is a non-surgical face mask for use by the general public, and is not a NIOSH (CDC) Certified N95 respirator or an FDA approved (class II) surgical mask. To date It has not been approved or cleared by the FDA. However, it is authorized for use by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization for use by Healthcare Providers as Personal Protective Equipment to help prevent the spread of infection or illness in healthcare settings and by the general public to help slow the spread of the virus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The product is authorized only for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of the emergency use of medical devices, including alternative products used as medical devices during the COVID-19 outbreak, under section 564(b)91) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. §360bbb-3(b)(1) unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.
About Wake Forest Baptist Health
Wake Forest Baptist Health (www.wakehealth.edu) is a pre-eminent academic health system based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Wake Forest Baptist’s two main components are an integrated clinical system – anchored by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, an 885-bed tertiary-care hospital in Winston-Salem – that includes Brenner Children’s Hospital, five community hospitals, more than 300 primary and specialty care locations and more than 2,500 physicians; and Wake Forest School of Medicine, a recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research that includes Wake Forest Innovations, a commercialization enterprise focused on advancing health care through new medical technologies and biomedical discovery.
Press Contact
Renfro@praytellagency.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3b4820e1-4b51-4b9d-99a2-a18e00c5a305
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e2591f51-6906-4661-b135-c11c42d49706
A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2956386a-d1b0-42c2-8669-6a0d0b496d03