Collaboration between local company and Mayo University Hospital during pandemic

Local company Fort Wayne Metals reached out to management at Mayo University Hospital in April during the COVID-19 pandemic, to offer practical support and help. Through a series of calls and video conferences, the hospital was able to access a wide range of knowledge around process and quality improvement. The initial work included a brainstorming session that ultimately led to the establishment of an internal Champions Team, consisting of staff from a range of jobs in the hospital. A ‘buddy system’ was also implemented. This involved staff asking each other a series of questions such as, ‘Are you fit and well enough to be at work today, with no adverse symptoms?’ and ‘Can you dial into a meeting instead of attending in person?’.

Following this work, Fort Wayne Metals, which is based at Castlebar Technology Park,  then went on to design, test and produce a set of eye-catching COVID-19 awareness material for staff use. This material was designed to highlight the importance of hand hygiene, PPE and maintaining a clean and safe environment for everyone in the hospital. It included a range of stickers and keyboard ‘pop-ups’ with key messages which were distributed to staff.

Commenting, Catherine Donohoe, Hospital Manager said, “We are very grateful to Anthony McHale and his team at Fort Wayne Metals for their support with this work during the COVID-19 pandemic. They came forward and offered practical assistance at a time when the health system was undergoing pressure not experienced previously. They suggested a number of projects that they could assist with and we were very happy to accept that help. They went the extra mile to work with us over a number of months and provided us with a stock of very high-quality materials to use going forward into the winter season. This is a great example of the public and private sectors coming together at a time of need, with a locally-based private company working with the hospital for the benefit of the whole community.”

Anthony McHale, Training and Development Manager at Fort Wayne Metals added, “We were delighted to have the opportunity to support our local hospital and front-line workers. We thought about different ways we could offer support and after a few brief meetings with Catherine and some of her team, we soon realised that our Shingo / Lean operational excellence expertise could assist the hospital in more ways than one. We wanted to offer support that would assist the hospital and its staff long term, and I feel we have achieved this. We are thankful to Catherine and her team at the hospital for their cooperation throughout our projects and we look forward to continuing the relationship we have now established between Fort Wayne Metals and Mayo University Hospital. We are all in this together and we should all make the effort to support one another through these challenging times.”

Photo Caption:

Michael O’Malley, Engineering Manager at Fort Wayne Metals; Catherine Donohoe, Mayo University Hospital Manager; and Anthony McHale, Training & Development Manager at Fort Wayne Metals. (Photo taken in August)