In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic are the everyday heroes continuing to leave the safety of their homes each day for the greater good. We are living in unprecedented times, but amongst all of this adversity, acts of kindness abound. One such example of generosity arose from an ingenious idea at HR Pharmaceuticals and impassioned support from C-P Flexible Packaging.

At the center of this random act of kindness is Colby Wiesman, president of HR Pharmaceuticals — a leading supplier of medical lubricants and ultrasound gels headquartered in York, Pennsylvania. Witnessing the nationwide shortage of hand sanitizer, Wiesman sought out a way to help. Although HR Pharmaceuticals had never before offered or packaged hand sanitizer, he knew that the company’s ultrasound gels have a consistency very similar to hand sanitizer gels.

Wiesman quickly set out to mass produce hand sanitizer gel and provide it to various groups within the local community that were in desperate need of the product. HR Pharmaceuticals’ product development and sourcing teams quickly came together to bring the idea to fruition. Although the alcohol needed to produce hand sanitizer was in short supply, they managed to overcome this obstacle and quickly pull together all of the raw materials needed to mass produce hand sanitizer gel.

Packaging was the next piece of the puzzle. HR Pharmaceuticals needed a package that could safely get the hand sanitizer into as many hands as possible — and as quickly as possible. Wiesman knew that the hand sanitizer would reach more people and be more widely distributed if packaged in single-use flexible packets rather than multi-use bottles. Single-use packets would also eliminate the potential for cross-contamination. For this part of the equation, HR Pharmaceuticals contacted C-P Flexible Packaging — a multifaceted developer and manufacturer of flexible packaging materials located near HR Pharmaceuticals. Wiesman explained his goals to help American citizens to Ray Clark, vice president of sales at C-P Flexible Packaging. Clark harnessed the full capabilities of the organization to support this important project.

HR Pharmaceuticals was able to create and deliver graphics for the new hand sanitizer packets within one day, and C-P Flexible Packaging managed to produce and deliver the first order of printed rollstock in record time. In fact, HR Pharmaceuticals was able to start packaging hand sanitizer gel in the finished packets a mere ten days after Wiesman’s first conversation with C-P Flexible Packaging. The structure consists of a 2.25 mil lamination with moisture and oxygen barrier properties that is also designed to seal through contamination.

HR Pharmaceuticals has the capacity to produce up to six million packets of hand sanitizer per week. In addition to making this product available for sale through the national medical distribution network, the product will also be donated to local front-line workers like police departments, fire stations, EMTs, prisons, courthouses, etc. that are now finding a need for this unplanned essential item. With limited availability in the marketplace, these donations help keep essential workers and the community at large safe in these uncertain times.

C-P Flexible Packaging was eager to assist HR Pharmaceuticals in this humanitarian project. According to Mike Hoffman, CEO of C-P Flexible Packaging, “We were instantly inspired by Colby Wiesman’s call to action to provide Americans with a much needed product to help fight the dangerous coronavirus. A team led by Ray Clark implemented our fast track onboarding process utilizing our fully integrated capabilities to develop this package and commercialize it in record time. We thank Colby for the opportunity to support such a worthy initiative.”

Across the nation, as hundreds of thousands of brave workers face coronavirus head on each day as they work in medical facilities and other institutions, many of us watch from the sidelines wishing we could do more to help. Colby Wiesman of HR Pharmaceuticals was one such person who found a way to support these everyday heroes in the mission against COVID-19.

In the words of Colby Wiesman, “We are constantly pursuing opportunities that do good for the community, doctors and patients we serve while doing good for our business and associates. We were thankful that C-P Flexible Packaging bent over backwards to help us get the product into the literal hands of those who need it, with lead times that are unheard of in this industry. Seeing our internal associates and external partners come together for this noble project has been one of the greatest joys of my professional career.”