First of all, will a hospital even accept a homemade mask? Yes, maybe, probably. But don’t take our word for it: CDC’s recommendations. On the CDC’s site, scroll all the way to the bottom. And yes, that is where we are right now.
Image by Lukáš Jančička from Pixabay
Here are our 5 steps to effectively supporting our medical providers:
- Review the basics. Making Safe and Effective DIY Masks.
- Know your audience. This is the most crucial step. Contact your local hospitals, medical providers, or community organizers to determine what masks, if any, medical providers near you are seeking. A fantastic example of a community organizer is Sew and Serve out of Indiana. You will want to find out: What materials are they accepting? Any design requirements? What is the safest means of transporting them and dropping them off?
- Please visit FindtheMasks. This is an essential tool for mask donation. The amazing people at FindtheMasks created an interactive map that identifies what personal protective equipment is needed and where. (No, we are not associated with FindtheMasks, but we wish were. Have you seen their site? Those folks are amazing!)
- Have you checked out FindtheMasks.com but no one is accepting mask donations near you? No problem. Reach out to us at getamaskadm@gmail.com, and we will connect you to a regional group who can assist getting your masks into good, gloved hands.
- Check out our Hall of Fame page to see if there is a group near you facilitating mass donations.
- Choose a design. There are so many to choose from. In addition to the videos below, see the following list of our favorite designs:
- Covid 19 Supplies brings you to a Facebook full of open source plans for masks created by engineers and innovators. This group provides information on other protective equipment as well.
- This mask design is by St. John’s Health Foundation. We like this page because it shows how to safely make a mask.
- Here is Vanderbilt University’s Medical Center’s Design, which we highly recommend.
- Please visit our hero’s website. Sophia is a high school student living with leukemia. She is the founder of Miracle Masks, an organization that has been hand creating masks for some time. Sophia provides designs that are accepted at John Hopkins Hospital.
- Another great design! This mask is deaf-friendly, allowing those in the deaf community to read lips and facial expressions. Check out the design and the pdf link for greater details.
- Make a plan. Write out how many masks you plan on making each week. Schedule this time into your week. Schedule a phone call with a friend where you will both chat while making masks.
- Execute.
