J.K. Adams Donates Shields to SVMC

Caption: SVHC President and CEO Thomas A. Dee, FACHE and SVMC Director of Materials Management Ron Keefer accepted a donation of 1,000 face shields from JK Adams’ Company President Daniel Isaac.

BENNINGTON, VT—July 18, 2022—On Friday, July 8, J.K. Adams’ Company President Daniel Isaac and the company’s Creative Director Sean Osborne traveled from their Dorset factory to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), in Bennington. They delivered a gift of 1,000 infection prevention shields manufactured at the factory.

Through rigorous testing, the company developed the shields and began manufacturing them shortly after the pandemic began. The production served two aims: to help provide a local supply of shields for essential workers and to give J.K. Adams’ employees a sense of purpose.

“It was an effort to get our folks back to the factory, because they really wanted to help out,” Osborne explained.

It was no small effort either, Isaac shared, “How does a wood factory convert to making plastic and foam things? But we designed the shields, and we ordered different tools, because we needed completely different tools. We made some prototypes, and within two weeks we had material ordered, and it arriving.”

Face shields continue to be an important piece of personal protective equipment for healthcare employees in some circumstances. Currently, the health system uses almost 100 per month.

“This was clearly an impressive effort and a great show of community spirit from our neighbors at J.K. Adams,” said SVHC’s President and CEO Thomas A. Dee, FACHE. “Our employees will appreciate their ingenuity, thoughtfulness, and generosity whenever they use one of their shields.”

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, healthcare system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index in 2020 and is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. The health system is fortunate to have the support of platinum-level corporate sponsor Mack, a leading supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts based in Arlington, VT.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

About J.K. Adams:
Founded on December 31, 1944, J.K. Adams in Dorset, Vermont, produces the highest quality hand-crafted products for cooking and entertaining. Manufactured by hand from North American hardwoods, J.K. Adams products are both functional and aesthetic and aim to make cooking and entertaining easy and fun. The second-generation family-owners and loyal employees are driven by stories from their customers. They aim to put a J.K. Adams product in the hands of every person who is passionate about their kitchen, about the food they make, and about the connections made while entertaining with good food and good friends.