#InThisTogether: 20 JUL 2020

With everything going on during the COVID-19 crisis, we wanted to share some of the stories about what Cook people are doing during this difficult time. All around the Cook world, we are #InThisTogether, and we would love to hear stories about how you and your coworkers are stepping up to make a difference. If you have a story to share, please email us at BlogEditor@CookMedical.com.

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Staying safety-minded at Stone Belt

By Ashley McGuire, an Editorial Content specialist for Corporate Marketing and Communications

When the COVID-19 (C-19) pandemic started to ramp up in Indiana, Stone Belt’s main concern was their clients’ and employees’ health. But they also hoped to continue to produce Cook products.

“I think our biggest challenges were what could we put into place to make sure that people were safe, including the extra cleaning, the extra sanitizing, the masks, and the spacing,” Karen Freeman, Stone Belt’s director of Manufacturing, said.

“Then, would we be able to keep our production numbers up? So far we’ve been able to do that,” she said.

What is Stone Belt?

Stone Belt is a Bloomington-based nonprofit organization that provides resources and support for their clients, who are individuals with disabilities. The organization has partnered with Cook since the late 1970s on various initiatives, one of which is a workshop where some Cook assembly work is done by clients. Wire guide holders are among the products that they assemble.

Making safety-minded changes

The emergence of C-19 has changed Stone Belt’s work significantly in some ways. Before the pandemic, their Cook workshop had around 50 to 65 clients who were working on product, in addition to nine staff members and two supervisors, including Karen. The organization’s last day of business as usual was on March 13. At this point, they decided to send their clients home to quarantine.

This led to Karen’s staff, as well as some staff members from other areas of the organization who were displaced from their regular jobs, stepping up and taking over the work normally done by the clients. All in all, they had about 20 people doing assembly.

“It has been a thrill for them to learn something new and see another side of Stone Belt that they don’t typically see,” Karen said. “We post our numbers and what we’ve done every month and they were a little wowed by that. They’ve enjoyed being a part of that too.”

According to Karen, the staff was surprised at the repetitiveness of the work that the clients perform on a daily basis.

“You know what I heard the most was, ‘My fingers hurt! I can’t believe clients do this all day long,’” Karen said.

Clients slowly start their return to work

As of early June, Stone Belt has begun slowly bringing clients back two at a time so that they can become familiar with the new procedures for wearing a mask, hand washing, and maintaining a distance of six feet from coworkers. They are asking anyone who is struggling to adjust to return home for the time being.

“They have been thrilled to be back,” Karen said. “They love working, most of them, and they love working for Cook. They are very proud of that. They are worried that maybe people aren’t being taken care of if they are not here working and making product.”

For more information about Stone Belt and their partnership with Cook, check out Angiogram Issue 2 2019.

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