Intubation Box Donations to Help Protect Toronto Hospitals from COVID-19

Physicians at Humber River Hospital in Toronto demonstrate use of new intubation boxes that provide extra line of defense during COVID-19. Klick Health helped with prototyping and is donating 300 boxes to city hospitals.

TORONTO, ON – April 2, 2020 – To help local hospitals provide their frontline healthcare professionals with an extra line of defense during COVID-19, Klick Health and Humber River Hospital today announced the availability of 300 intubation boxes for Greater Toronto Area (GTA) hospitals in need.

The newly designed transparent polycarbonate boxes shield physicians and nurses during COVID-19 patient intubations, reducing their risk of infection. Intubations put medical practitioners at greater risk of infection due to virus particles that can become aerosolized when a tube is inserted into a patient’s trachea to keep the airway open, typically done before connecting to a ventilator.

Inspired by an open-source design by Taiwan-based Dr. Hsien Yung Lai, the boxes were adapted last week for local hospital requirements by Humber River Hospital Chief of Anesthesia, Dr. Steven Bernstein, who worked with Embury Company, Klick Health, and Italic Press on a series of prototypes that were tested in-hospital.

The team created the intubation box in two heights (26” and 28”) to accommodate patient intubations with or without a Troop elevation pillow. The units are now being used during COVID-19 intubations at the Humber River Hospital and Klick is manufacturing more to donate to the city’s hospitals requiring this form of personal protective equipment.

“We are very thankful to now have these boxes to further protect our team during our highest risk procedures. They help to allow us to focus on providing the best possible care to our patients,” said Dr. Bernstein. “It is heartwarming to experience this rapid collaboration and generosity from industry during such challenging times.”

“Our frontline healthcare professionals deserve every protection against COVID-19 and we are proud to work with Humber River Hospital to help make that possible for medical teams across Toronto,” said Yan Fossat, Vice President of Klick Labs (the company’s digital health innovation lab), whose wife Takami is an operating room nurse at the hospital. “We commend both Dr. Hsien Yung Lai and Dr. Steven Bernstein for developing and advancing the intubation box concept for the greater good and we thank Toronto hospitals for everything they are doing to protect and care for patients.”

GTA hospitals can request the intubation boxes at: covid19.klick.com/box.

About Humber River Hospital

Humber River Hospital (HRH) is North America’s first digital hospital and one of Canada’s largest acute care hospitals. Supported by cutting edge technology and recognized globally for its leadership, excellence and innovation in patient care, HRH is fueled by a workforce committed to compassionate, quality and reliable healthcare that puts the patients, their families and their needs at the centre of all that they do. Serving more than 850,000 people in northwest Greater Toronto Area, operating out of a 1.8 million square foot facility, it integrates lean and green design principles and the finest available medical and communications technology across all hospital systems, services and workflows. HRH operates 656 acute inpatient beds, including 48 critical care beds, has 3,400 staff, approximately 600 physicians, and over 500 volunteers. The hospital has formal affiliations with the University of Toronto and Queen’s University Medical Schools. For further information, visit www.hrh.ca.

About Klick Health

Klick Health is the world’s largest independent commercialization partner for life sciences. For over two decades, Klick has been laser focused on developing, launching, and supporting life sciences brands to maximize their full market potential. Klick has been named Agency of the Year six times over the last eight years by the industry’s leading publications. The Klick group of companies—Klick Health and Sensei Labs—is an ecosystem of brilliant minds working to maximize the full potential of their people and clients. Established in 1997, Klick has teams in New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, and across North America. Klick has consistently been named a Best Managed Company and Great Place to Work. In the last year alone, the company has been recognized with 11 Best Workplace awards, including Best Workplaces for Women, Employee-Recommended Workplaces, Most Admired Corporate Cultures, and Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators. For more information on joining Klick, go to careers.klick.com.