Celebrate the Good: How the Pandemic Produced Nonprofit Medical Technology Research and Development
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused strife throughout the world, challenges like these often bring together great minds and generous people who achieve incredible accomplishments for benefit of all. That is exactly what LifeMech, a nonprofit based in Oregon, is doing. LifeMech is a nonprofit with a team of over 180 volunteer doctors, engineers, and computer scientists who are working on developing a ventilator that is more affordable and simple to make. Their goal was to make life-saving technology widely accessible and maximize manufacturability, therefore lowering cost. All of this would allow underserved parts of the United States and the world to have the essential medical equipment they need during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shortly after the COVID-19 crisis began to affect the United States, a group of scientists and medical professionals quickly moved to solve the pressing issue of limited medical infrastructure in the U.S. After several weeks of treating severe COVID-19 cases throughout the country, it was clear that ventilators were critical to properly treat more severe infections. Unfortunately, many hospitals lacked enough ventilators to treat all of the patients that required them. The LifeMech group put their minds to work to develop a not for profit, low-cost, and open source ventilator design. From the research and development to the prototype and even the FDA safety testing, LifeMech has operated on donations in order to remove profits from the equation. The inventors created working prototypes in their garages and basements which they say speaks to the simplicity and availability of the technology they are producing and sharing. LifeMech believes these ventilators will help supplement nations that lack proper medical infrastructure, highlighting the high-risk countries of Zambia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.
The COVID-19 pandemic will not last forever, so you might wonder what LifeMech will do without a specific challenge to overcome. LifeMech has already given thought to how they can keep their incredible work going. The organization plans to continue working to develop its ventilator design for use in future and current non-COVID crises. It will be available should another public health crisis occur, but more importantly, its simple, variable design and low cost make it a perfect candidate for use in field hospitals, refugee camps, mobile medical centers, humanitarian facilities, and remote regions. With plans to work with the Mercy Corps, LifeMech intends to deliver its ventilator technology to help solve humanitarian crises across the globe.
Stories such as these show the commitment nonprofits have to servings communities with generosity and promoting the general benefit of society. Additionally, it shows the ability of human minds to overcome even the most difficult challenges. Not only are the scientists of LifeMech coming together to help solve the particular challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are also using their innovations to push their medical technology into other areas of humanitarian need. The COVID-19 crisis has spurred innovations in business, science, and even in the home, as everyone around the world works to adjust to the new challenges we face.
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