University of Alaska Fairbanks Chemistry department mobilizes to produce hand sanitizer for hospital

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has teamed up with Fairbanks Memorial Hospital to produce hand sanitizer. The chemistry laboratory in the College of Natural Science and Mathematics’ Reichardt Building is putting its quarantined facilities to good use. Normally bustling with student activity, the area is instead being used to produce hand sanitizer, which Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is running in short supply of.

Gwen Holdmann, director of the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, serves on the UAF COVID-19 support team, which meets every other day to research and discuss community requests for support. One that came up almost immediately was from the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. They were quickly running out of hand sanitizer, and to make matters worse, it was on backorder.

“The hospital was needing help, and Hoarfrost Distillery had been working at getting the formulation right. We said we’d be happy to help.”

Reiter said she got the request on March 30, and after numerous conversations with attorneys, the mayor’s office and various state offices, the laboratory is now approved to produce hand sanitizer. Teri Kiss, chief quality officer for FMH, estimates they go through well over 10 liters of sanitizer a day.

Read the full story from University of Alaska Fairbanks here.