East Georgia Regional Medical Center was one of 15 rural hospitals in the state of Georgia to receive medical scrubs recently, thanks to the Field to Closet initiative.
“We are honored to be included in such a forward-thinking initiative,” said Stephen Pennington, chief executive officer of East Georgia Regional Medical Center. “Field to Closet’s Cotton Project not only benefits frontline healthcare workers in our region, but also supports the long-term vision of bolstering the U.S. cotton farmer and increasing domestic demand for cotton. Re-shoring American textile manufacturing is on the right track for one day becoming a reality.”
The Cotton Project, Field to Closet’s vision is now a reality – providing rural hospitals with 100% Deltapine cotton medical scrubs, crafted with cotton grown in Georgia and created in an end-to-end U.S. supply chain.
“To see the scrubs all the way through the process, from cotton grower to medical professional is extremely exciting,” said Steve Hawkins, president of America Knits. “Our team, as well as Field to Closet, the cotton growers, and our project partners, including Deltapine seed, Georgia’s Rural Center, HomeTown Health, Nutrien Ag Solutions, and Helena Agri-Enterprises worked together for well over a year to bring the concept to market.”
For these scrubs, the cotton was grown in Georgia and the yarn was made in Raybun Gap, Georgia; the material was made in North Carolina, and the scrubs were cut and sewn by America Knits in Swainsboro, Georgia, creating a U.S. supply chain at each stop along the way.
“Rural Georgia is home to agriculture, Georgia’s largest industry. Georgia is the second largest producer of cotton in the U.S.,” said Dr. David Bridges, Director of Georgia’s Rural Center and President of Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College. “Cotton plays a prominent role in the economic prosperity of many rural communities in the state. Now, with this particular project, cotton can be more profitable to our farmers and also contribute to better rural healthcare.”
Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp explained in an earlier WALB-TV interview about this project: “It’s helping Georgia manufacturing, helping producers and it’s also helping frontline heroes in the fight with COVID, and I think that makes it even better in the times that we’re in.”
