Public Justice – Co-Winner
MicroCool surgical gowns were marketed as the safest and most protective gowns available anywhere in the world. They were recommended hospital attire for healthcare professionals working with Ebola patients and for surgeries on patients with some of the most highly transferable blood diseases, including HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis. But the gowns’ manufacturers—Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Halyard Health, Inc.—knew as far back as 2012 that the gowns were actually defective and had failed numerous tests, leaving healthcare professionals and patients exposed to serious health risks.