Nike supports frontline healthcare workers in the US

Sportswear brand Nike is working healthcare professionals at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in the US to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) – including full-face shields, air-purifying respirator and lenses – to protect healthcare workers against COVID-19.

For this, Nike is transforming materials used in its footwear and apparel – like collar padding, TPU component in Nike Air soles and cords – to create PPE.

“Without proper facial protection, healthcare workers are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, which could place substantial strain on the healthcare workforce in the months ahead,” said Miko Enomoto, associate professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, OHSU School of Medicine. “The full-face shields help protect healthcare workers’ faces and also help to prolong the length we can safely use a surgical or N95 mask. Nike’s generous response to the COVID-19 crisis helps to instill an added layer of confidence and support for healthcare workers, that we can safely carry out the jobs we were born to do.”

Nike delivered the first shipment of full-face shields and PAPR lenses to OHSU on April 3, 2020. These have been provided to health systems in Nike’s global headquarters region, including Providence, Legacy Health Systems and Kaiser Permanente, and others across the state of Oregon.