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New Tenant At IRG Campus To Produce Ongoing Supply of PPE
STATE NEWS
Six companies, including a new tenant at the New York Center for Innovation in Pearl River, have received nearly $2.3 million in Empire State Development funding to produce supplies for the need to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hudson Holdings Group LLC, doing business as NY Critical Materials, was awarded $750,000 to will produce surgical N95 respirators. Following NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) approval, the company will produce 870,000 respirators per week, with capacity to increase production in response to growth in demand.
Hudson Holdings Group is a manufacturer of medical devices and healthcare products based in Piscataway, NJ. The $4.9 million mask project is the first phase for this company, which is seeking to further expand its manufacturing to include other personal protective equipment and other products in the health and well-being sector.
Grants for the ongoing manufacture of PPE are aimed at alleviating product shortages that have resulted from supply chain issues that create unfair pricing practices and cause delays.
However, there are reasons to feel optimistic about downward curve of COVID-19 in New York while taking aim at keeping production lines going for future surges or outbreaks.
To date, 8.7 million New Yorkers, or 43 percent have been vaccinated.
“New Yorkers are staying safe, getting vaccinated and following the public health guidance, and we’re seeing a decrease in the numbers as a result of their efforts,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Friday. “We’re getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s important that we don’t lose any of our hard-earned progress. Washing hands, wearing masks and social distancing are important tools we can use to combat the virus as we work toward getting every New Yorker vaccinated.”
According to the governor’s office, 217,972 COVID-19 tests were reported to the state on Saturday. Of those tests, 4,087 came back positive for a percent positive rate of 1.88 percent.
The seven-day average percent positive rate is slightly higher at 2.19 percent; however, this is the lowest the seven-day average percent positive rate has been since November 8, 2020.
On Saturday, 3,198 people were in New York hospitals with COVID-19, the lowest number since November 28.
Fifty more New Yorkers died Saturday from COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the state to 41,808. Of those hospitalized, 742 patients were in the ICU; 460 of which required intubation. This is the lowest number of ICU patients since December 1, 2020, and the lowest number of intubations since December 4, 2020.
A year ago, Cuomo asked companies with New York-based operations to retool production lines to manufacture approved COVID-19 critical supplies, such as ventilators, test kits and PPE, including N95 respirators, surgical masks, gowns, and face shields.
To date, New York State has awarded nearly $22 million in grants to 39 qualifying New York-based companies to retool their business lines and pivot to manufacturing vital supplies for ongoing response and recovery efforts.
“Our country was ill-prepared for a global pandemic when it arrived early last year, and our state was left to scour the earth in search of personal protective equipment,” Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said. “We’ve learned from the lessons of the past. Supporting New York-based companies to pivot to manufacturing medical supplies will not only save lives, but also reduce our dependency on overseas products and retain local jobs.”
Empire State Development Grants By Region
New York City Region
Emelle Design, Inc.: $96,000 – Emelle Design Inc. is a womenswear designer located in New York City. In response to the pandemic, the company has added a PPE line and now designs and manufactures isolation gowns for healthcare providers and front-line workers. The company successfully applied for a COVID-19 grant to increase production to a capacity of 45,000 gowns per week, creating 43 jobs.
Notes to the Soul, Inc.: d/b/a Skilled Laborers Brigade: $184,000 – This New York City fashion industry conglomerate, including skilled tailors and designers, is keeping garment workers employed while helping at-risk communities. The group is making specialized transparent face coverings for Peoples Inc., the leading non-profit human services agency serving Western New York and Greater Rochester. The transparent coverings are essential for users reliant on lip reading for communication.
Long Island Region
A&Z Pharmaceutical Inc.: $700,000 – A&Z Pharmaceutical was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. The company develops, manufactures and packages vitamins, sports supplements and pharmaceutical products. The company successfully applied for a COVID-19 grant to retool some of its operations to begin manufacturing N95 respirators, which will help contribute to save lives in New York State and across the country. This grant will complement the investment made by A&Z Pharma and will create 10 new jobs in one of its manufacturing facilities in Hauppauge, New York.
Banyan USA: $400,000 – Banyan USA began producing general use face masks in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis. In order to expand their production and begin producing ASTM level 1,2, and 3 medical use masks they are investing more than $1,000,000 in new machinery and equipment, raw materials, and job training. A $400,000 grant will assist with this project, allowing Banyan to produce up to 750,000 masks a week and hire 16 new employees.
Finger Lakes Region
BMP America: $150,000 – BMP America is a company that produces engineered nonwoven textile products for niche markets. BMP is also now producing washable, re-usable filtration face masks for adults and children. They will produce 135,000 adult size and 135,000 child size face masks per week. Total production of up to 13,500,000 face masks per year. BMP will invest $1,493,600 and maintain 66 employees at production site.