KOKOMO, Ind., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The team
General Motors and Ventec Life Systems assembled to help fight the
COVID-19 pandemic delivered its 30,000th V+Pro critical care
ventilator to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
yesterday, the companies announced today.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, GM and Ventec
collaborated to rapidly scale up production of critical care
ventilators. In one month, the teams went from an introductory
phone call to delivering life-saving technology to frontline
medical heroes. The full federal order was completed in just 154
days, with one ventilator completed about every seven minutes.
With yesterday's shipment, GM has formally turned over
operational control of the company's Kokomo ventilator manufacturing operation to
Ventec. Ventec will produce VOCSN multi-function critical care
ventilators in Kokomo, as well as
in Bothell, Washington in response
to ongoing demand during the pandemic. Ventec's monthly ventilator
production increased 80 times during the pandemic.
"Our drive to put critical care ventilators into production was
fueled by thousands of people at GM, Ventec and our suppliers who
all wanted to do their part to help save lives during the
pandemic," said Mary Barra, GM
Chairman and CEO. "It was inspiring to see so many people achieve
so much so quickly."
"Our hope continues to be that mitigation efforts stop the
spread of this virus. Ventec Life Systems is committed to
maintaining increased production capacity for as long as it is
needed to ensure frontline healthcare workers have the tools
necessary to save lives," said Ventec Life Systems CEO Chris Kiple. "We are incredibly proud of how our
teams came together united by a common mission."
One of the first medical facilities to receive a GM-Ventec
ventilator was Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
"We are very grateful to Ventec Life Systems and General Motors
for the critical care ventilators we received in April," said Dr.
Suzanne Pham, M.D., hospitalist at
Weiss Memorial Hospital. "The devices built in just one month are
currently helping patients battling COVID-19, and are valuable
tools enabling our medical team to save lives. I'm proud to
say we have had many patients beat COVID-19, wean off the
ventilator, and safely return home."
One of those patients was Jeffrey
Dickerson of Chicago.
"I'm grateful that Weiss Memorial Hospital received ventilators
created by Ventec Life Systems and General Motors," he said. "When
I was rushed into the hospital room, I couldn't walk without
pausing to catch my breath. The team at Weiss put me on one of your
machines, and I was fortunate to make a fast recovery. They later
told me they were running out of ventilators, but fortunately had
received one of the first shipments from the federal government, so
I didn't have to wait for help."
Many of the men and women who joined this historic effort to
quickly ramp up ventilator production felt a strong call of duty to
support their families, communities and country.
"When I received information that
Kokomo was hiring for its
ventilator operations, I was homeschooling my niece. At first, I
didn't respond to the email. But it became apparent this was a
historic moment and I wanted to do my part to help."
Glenn Sandifer,
product assembler
"This team has worked so hard to
accomplish this. Our commitment, our purpose to help those in need,
is inspiring. It's much deeper than simply hitting our goal. All of
us chose to leave the security of our homes and give 110 percent
every single day to build ventilators. We came in with the attitude
that for every challenge we were handed that day, that we would
face it, fix it and overcome it. That collective attitude has
brought us to where we are today."
Ian Cartier,
robotic technician
"We – GM and me, as an employee –
have helped our country through rough times. I contributed. We
contributed. We have done our part. And it was the right thing to
do."
J.C. Barnett, group leader
"My family has been a part of the
medical industry. My daughter is a physician assistant and my wife
works for a blood center. But it wasn't until GM started this
project in late March that it hit home for me. The moment I saw our
first shipment of critical care ventilators being received at the
hospitals by the doctors and medical staff was the moment I
realized the importance of what we were doing."
Mike Schroeder,
shift leader
"Some days I would get in at
6 a.m. and leave at 3 a.m., and we were working side by side with GM
the entire time. Their skill and dedication were essential to
successfully completing this mission."
Andy Chapman,
mechanical engineer
The unique collaboration between Ventec and GM to build V+Pro
critical care ventilators began with conference calls initiated by
stopthespread.org on March 17
and 18. The first units were delivered to Franciscan Health
Olympia Fields in Olympia Fields,
Illinois and Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago. A third shipment was delivered by UPS
to the Gary/Chicago International Airport on April 18 for distribution to other locations
where the need was greatest.
Photos and video of the historic partnership between General Motors
and Ventec Life Systems can be found at www.VentecGM.com.
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company
committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for
people to get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its
joint venture entities sell vehicles under the
Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac,
Holden, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information
on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a
global leader in vehicle safety and security services, can be found
at http://www.gm.com.
Ventec Life Systems is redefining respiratory care
to improve patient outcomes and reduce caregiver challenges from
the hospital to home. Ventec's leading product, VOCSN, is the first
and only Multi-Function Ventilator that seamlessly integrates five
devices - a critical care Ventilator, 6 L/min equivalent Oxygen
concentrator, touch button Cough assist, hospital grade Suction,
and a high-performance Nebulizer - into one integrated respiratory
system that is lightweight and mobile. VOCSN is fully customizable
to meet patient needs for pediatric and adult patients. Learn more
at VentecLife.com and connect with Ventec on Facebook,
LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
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SOURCE General Motors Co.