UW Health recently partnered with the UW-Madison College of Engineering to help design and test prototypes of clear face masks that not only make communication easier but that also provide a greater sense of human connection.
The masks are currently being tested by a limited number of UW Health providers, including speech and language pathologists and sign language interpreters.
“As a speech therapist, I am always modeling sounds and words for my patients, so it’s critically important that they’re able to see my mouth during therapy sessions,” said , UW Health speech therapist. “These masks are also invaluable to building good rapport, especially with our younger patients and their families, because they can see our smile and know how proud we are of the progress they’re making.”
The clear masks are just the latest partnership between UW Health and UW Engineering to come up with innovative solutions to some of the unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These masks are currently being tested by and for a limited number of providers and patient populations at this time.
We are currently looking for a manufacturer to develop the Badger Shield face mask.