Local Hero NYC Glasses Maker Provides PPE For Frontline Doctors
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — When times are tough, heroes emerge. We all know someone who's making a difference right now as we live through unprecedented times. Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these everyday heroes.
This submission highlights Heidi Hertel, whose West 57th Street-based company Fitz Frames is providing frontline doctors with protective glasses that offer extra protection while treating patients. The glasses, prescription and non-prescription, are especially useful as doctors are being told not to wear contact lenses while treating coronavirus patients.
Where the nominee lives:
New York City
Where the person who nominated the hero lives:
New York City.
Name of the nominee:
Heidi Hertel.
Name of the person who nominated the hero:
London Misher.
Is the nominee considered an “essential worker”?:
No.
What does the nominee do for work?:
Owner of Fitz Frames and Fitz Protect.
Why do you believe the nominee should be recognized or honored?
Heidi Hertel is the founder of Fitz Frames, a made-to-order eyewear company that is now offering much needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to frontline medical staff as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic, called Fitz Protect.
What’s one thing you want everyone to know about your hero?:
This mother of 3 quickly started Fitz Protect which is eyewear that provides an extra layer of protection while medical staff treat patients, especially given the recent guidance that they refrain from wearing contact lenses. Keeping medical personnel safe and healthy is of paramount importance to mitigate the potentially disastrous effects of this outbreak. Medical personnel are at increased risk of infection and hospitalization - and when they become infected, already short-staffed wards become even more overburdened.
The goal is to provide this eyewear at no cost to medical personnel as they put their lives on the line on a daily basis. They order directly via the Fitz app and the eyewear (both Rx and non-Rx) is shipped to their door. Healthcare professionals also can apply for their free pair through this link and receive a contact-free delivery from Fitz's factory shipped to their hospital of choice or to their home!
Heidi Hertel says "I am in awe of healthcare workers who are putting their lives on the line to treat patients with COVID-19. Given our company produces made to measure glasses for each face, we thought we were in a position to help and should. We thought we could quickly develop a product to protect doctors and nurses and that it would be easy for those in need to order it using our app. We have aimed to get as many pairs of Fitz Protect as possible to medical personnel for free."
Hertel continues, "We are fortunate to have donors who have underwritten glasses for healthcare workers and enacted a GoFundMe campaign with our partner the Loving Eyes Foundation for individuals that want to help us get as many free glasses to healthcare workers as possible at no charge. The number of requests we've received has been overwhelming. We have increased our manufacturing capabilities to try to help meet this need from the medical community. Hearing our first pair was worn by a doctor delivering a baby boy at Mt. Sinai meant a lot to us. We are glad to help and to hear from many using our glasses that these are much more comfortable than what they are used to wearing!"
This article originally appeared on the Midtown-Hell's Kitchen Patch
