Nurses, doctors and healthcare workers can’t stay home, away from crowds and quarantined like the rest of us, so their wellness should be a priority. But, instead of protecting themselves against illness, they bravely go to work, often faced with putting themselves at risk - especially when they don’t have the masks that they need to help protect them.
Due to a shortage, the Centers for Disease Controls recently issued new guidelines earlier this month that the looser fitting surgical face masks would also be acceptable when the N95 masks are unavailable.
This announcement has moved many who are concerned for these brave men and women to spend their time quarantined at home making masks for those on the front lines.
Caroline Smith is one of those volunteers who has been tirelessly cutting and sewing fabric to make much-needed masks for those healthcare workers. “No, these are not N95 masks. I’ve read that they are still 60-70% effective. That’s better than 0%. Also, they can be washed - it’s intended to be reusable. You might not have the same sanitary result, but, it’s better than nothing,” she says.
And nothing, is exactly what some workers have. Another volunteer Meshell Stokes, who owns her own sewing boutique in Dahlonega, said that her sister, who works for an assisted living place, ran out of masks and had to use a paper towel to cover her face.
Smith said she has heard similar rumors. “One nurse told me that they were being asked to reuse masks and that each nurse was only getting one for every twelve-hour shift. There’s a huge need for more masks in our own area and every hospital is pretty low.”
Smith was initially going to donate masks to Atlanta hospitals, but once she announced her plans on social media, she was suddenly bombarded with requests from local nurses and healthcare workers. “The need has become overwhelming. We have more requests for masks than we can really keep up with right now. It’s crazy.”
Stokes had a similar response when she also posted online. She was suddenly getting requests from hospice workers, and one healthcare worker who has nine offices. All of them are asking for supplies as quickly as she can make the masks.
So far Stokes, along with the help of her granddaughter and other volunteers have made about 80 masks so far. “We’ve been giving these masks to those who work in home healthcare and hospice centers and for children with diabetes,” she said. She intends to keep doing as many more as she can. “We will back at it tomorrow.”
There are lots of different patterns out there, but Smith says she picked one that would be the quickest and easiest to make in a short amount of time, and it was also CDC approved. “Our goal is 50 per day. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s very time consuming. We just spent 4 hours cutting out fabric. The front side is cotton/quilting and the back side is flannel. You want to breathe, but keep anything from getting through. The assemblage is more time consuming than the sewing.” Smith says there is also a pediatric pattern that can be used for kids. “There is a huge need for this,” Smith simply says.
Both Stokes and Smith have been grateful for a large amount of donations, but they can always use more, especially when many fabric stores are closed. Elastic is the one item Smith needs most at the moment.
If you or someone you know wishes to volunteer, there are numerous Facebook groups online. Or you can call Caroline Smith at 678-498-1310. Others who are already sewing away would love volunteers, including Meshell’s Sewing Boutique in Dahlonega.
