An African American mother and daughter team are seeking investors for a patented glare reduction shield they invented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The shield attaches to a digital thermometer to provide accurate, reliable results anywhere. The family is also looking to raise awareness about health equity and access in Black communities through innovation.
Casaundra Pugh, a traveling home health aide, invented the shield with her daughter, Younniaa Williams, a marketing and communications expert in the healthcare industry with decades of experience launching products.
During the height of the pandemic, an essential part of Pugh’s job was to provide accurate temperature readings in the elderly and disadvantaged communities she worked in. Pugh was inspired to begin designing a makeshift model shield consisting of cardboard and tape after realizing she needed a way to log the readings of patients in an outdoor setting without the nagging glare of the sun.
It became apparent that there was an unmet need and an advantage to patenting this idea, Pugh said.
The patent application notes that while glare reducing shields have been designed in the past, none include a detachable pivoting glare reduction shield for the display screen of a handheld infrared digital thermometer where “the shield snaps onto the top of the thermometer and comprises a three-sided rectangular hood which blocks sunlight from obstructing the display screen and when not in use can be folded back away from the spring using a spring-loaded hinge mechanism.”
The shield hasn’t been manufactured but exists as a prototype.
In addition to her work as a traveling home health aide, Pugh opened a private home health aide facility, Pugh & Payne, in Richmond, Virginia during the pandemic to provide a continuum of care for elderly residents with terminal illnesses.
“We are looking to spark some interest with a potential investor who can help us devise ways to use the patent for the greater good of humanity and so that this device can reach poor communities that need it most. We’re also looking for an investor equally committed to delivering products that represent the unmet needs of these communities,” Williams said. “We envision healthcare facilities around the world may find it useful.”
Interested investors can contact Williams at [email protected].
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