Battelle has announced that a team of United States Air Force Acquisition personnel toured the company’s Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS), located in Washington D.C., Battelle reported on Wednesday.
“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.”
Battelle was recently awarded a $415 million 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).
DLA’s contract will fund 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.
The Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS) will bridge that gap until the supply chain for new masks can meet demand. Battelle CCDS has utilized concentrated, vapor phase hydrogen peroxide (VPHP) and will expose used respirator masks to the validated concentration level for 2.5 hours to decontaminate biological contaminants, including SARS-CoV-2 that cause COVID-19.
The Air Force has led 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 (OSD). The service branch’s tour occurred on the day the final mask decontamination systems completed at Battelle’s Ohio manufacturing facility.
The JATF team visited the New York NE Avenue site in Washington to get a tour and demonstration of the operation. The 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.
“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,” added Kimmel.
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.
