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Heart Land: Saving scrubs, Cincinnati area doctor has locally owned business make 'COVID-19 Warrior' shirts

Terry DeMio
Cincinnati Enquirer

With scrubs in short supply, Dr. Alison Neff switched to something else.

The primary-care doctor and her staff at Trihealth Women's Center in Kenwood are now wearing specially designed shirts every day.

The white shirts with long black sleeves let anyone who sees this medical staff know they are "COVID-19 Warriors."

To save scrubs, Dr. Alison Neff contracted with SRO Prints of Evendale to make these shirts. Now, SRO Prints is giving 50% of proceeds for anyone who purchases the shirts.

The shirts were created by Chase Stein, lead graphic designer at locally owned SRO Prints in Evendale, a company that designs, screens and sells shirts.

Neff is from Wyoming, and so is SRO Prints co-founder Brandon Swinehart. She reached out to him for the shirts that would identify her staff as, well, a staff, but would also save on scrubs, which are in short supply during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Turns out, it was a win-win. The partnership between Neff and Swinehart helped SRO Prints stay afloat. 

"We saw a huge drop in business on March 13, as most of our clients are schools, restaurants or events," Swinehart explained. Neff's order was more than welcome. 

Now, SRO Prints is selling the shirts online, at Neff's suggestion. Anyone can buy them. And to pay it forward, Swinehart is providing half of the proceeds from the shirts to Over-the Rhine Community Housing.

Brandon Swinehart of Wyoming screen presses T-shirts at SRO Prints, the company he co-founded with his wife, in Evendale on Thursday, October 24, 2019. Swinehart has been in recovery for about 14 years and, in hiring for the business, gives people in recovery 'second chances.'

So it's a win-win-win.

You can get a shirt for $15 at SRO Prints.

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SRO Prints has always had a pay-it-forward mission. The company vows to be a "socially responsible organization," so giving to the housing group isn't exactly a stretch for SRO Prints.

The company also provides employment to at-risk women and men recovering from addiction. Swinehart has been in recovery for more than 14 years.