May 13, 2020   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Air Force Personnel Visit Battelle’s Washington D.C Mask Critical Care Decontamination System™

A team of United States Air Force Acquisition personnel got a close-up look at Battelle’s Critical Care Decontamination System™ (CCDS) in Washington D.C. May 5.

The Air Force is leading rapid acquisitions in response to the coronavirus pandemic as part of the Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The meeting came on the day the final mask decontamination systems were being completed at Battelle’s Ohio manufacturing facility for shipping to the final of 60 sites across the country.

Battelle was awarded a contract by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) on behalf of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The $415 million contract will cover Battelle’s associated costs of staffing and training system operators who will be deployed across the country to help process previously worn respirator masks. The contract allows Battelle to provide the service at no cost to healthcare systems and first responders.

N95 respirator masks are in high demand with low availability. The Critical Care Decontamination SystemTM is designed to bridge that gap until the supply chain for new masks can meet demand.

The Battelle CCDSTM uses concentrated, vapor phase hydrogen peroxide (VPHP) and works by exposing used respirator masks to the validated concentration level for 2.5 hours to decontaminate biological contaminates, including SARS-CoV-2 which causes the COVID-19 illness.

The JATF team visited the New York NE Avenue site in Washington to get a tour and demonstration of the operation. The group largely represents the technical arm of the CCDS™ contract. This team manages the details of the technical contract day-to-day and provides the conduit between HHS, FEMA, and DLA for the execution of the program. It also supports daily accountability and reporting into the COVID-19 task force for progress and adoption of the CCDS™ solution.

“Since bringing the first system online, we have received thousands of requests for CCDS™ systems and services,” said General Manager for the CCDS program Greg Kimmel. “The contract awarded to Battelle has allowed us to staff additional systems to provide a continuous buffer against current and future N95 supply chain challenges. We’re incredibly proud of our team especially on this day that we completed the final systems. It could not have been done without the federal government’s support, including the teams at the Air Force, FEMA, DLA, and HHS.”

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.