On Friday, March 13, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was on Ben Bruns mind. He had been on a tour of The Boldt Company’s Appleton facility and was in the process of approving the road worthiness of a modular clinic prototype. Giving thought about what Boldt could be doing now to further assist Boldt’s healthcare clients during the pandemic, he asked himself whether the modular product he was working on could have another COVID-19 purpose. After some initial internal discussions, Boldt reached out to a long-time partner in the healthcare space (HGA) to discuss partnering on the concept. HGA jumped in with two feet and within days, HGA and Boldt mobilized resources to design and develop high quality modular critical care units that could address the COVID-19 hospital bed shortage.
The end result of the light speed process undertaken by this partnership was the STAAT Mod™. These critical care units were designed to address the safety of patients and healthcare workers affected by COVID-19. The modular product is noted as being the only quick-ship prefabricated solution that delivers true Airborne Infection isolation rooms, as recommended by the CDC.
Eric Meier Husch Blackwell had the opportunity to sit down with Ben Bruns of Boldt and Kurt Spiering of HGA to discuss their STAAT Mod™ project. Ben and Kurt hit on a variety of interesting concepts, from tackling supply chain limitations, incorporating virtual reality and first responder feedback in real-time design development, modular construction and “inside the box” thinking which allowed Boldt and HGA to navigate complex issues at a rapid pace.
In addition, more information is available from HGA and Boldt about the STAAT Mod™.