Sewers and Samaritans making masks for health care workers as hospitals run short on supplies

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads rapidly, health care providers nationwide are anticipating critical shortages of supplies, especially personal protective equipment (PPE). People are stepping up to help, donating whatever supplies they can get their hands on or, in the case of face masks, whatever they can make themselves.

When word spread about the anticipated shortages, mask-making fervor spread quickly on social media. Among those doing her part is Liz Goldberg, who has owned the Custom Shop, an upholstery and window-treatment shop in Glastonbury, for 30 years.

Goldberg said when she heard about her shop’s impending shutdown, she had a brainstorm. “I have all this 100 percent cotton fabric in the shop. If I end up going out of business, it will all go to waste. I might as well make masks and donate it,” she said.

She said she has enough raw material to make 1,200 masks. She petitioned the state to become an essential business to make the masks, and her petition was approved. “I only have four people working here and it’s a big enough shop that we can all keep our distance,” she said.

Goldberg said she will donate the masks to health care facilities, as well as first responders and people who do essential work but cannot telecommute or isolate themselves, such as food-factory employees. She already has received a letter from a diagnostic lab eager to get some of her masks.

Joy Delaney of Simsbury works with the Facebook group Sewing Face Masks – Farmington Valley CT, which was created on Friday and now has hundreds of members. Delaney both sews and administers the distribution of the masks.

“I do the matching. People who need masks fill out a Google form and we match people up,” she said. Delaney said. She added that the group has given masks to hospitals, ambulance companies, first responders and nursing homes.

“I get a new request every 10 minutes,” she said. “We have 32 sewers right now working on a daily basis to get them out there.”

Jackie Paul of Avon is a one of those sewers. She started making face masks over the weekend, as did her mother, who lives in Goshen.

“I am so glad to be in my sewing room and not watching the news, and doing something productive,” Paul said. “The whole community is pitching in with supplies and donations, picking up, dropping off, sharing.”

She added, “I’ve made 20 or 30 so far. An ER nurse from St. Mary’s [in Waterbury] is coming today to get them.”

Amanda Hayes, a spokeswoman for JOANNFabrics, said the nationwide chain is giving away mask-making kits, which each contain fabric, accessories and instructions.

Those who want to get some kits should call their local JOANN, request a number of kits and then go to the store for curbside pickup. JOANN has 11 stores in Connecticut. All of them are closed to the public. Still, employees inside will take phone orders and bring kits out to customers.

“There’s been an amazing outpouring of people to make these masks,” Hayes said. When the masks are made, sewers can drop them back off at JOANN for donations, or donate them to any organization they choose. JOANN’s pattern is here: youtube.com/watch?v=VgHrnS6n4iA&app=desktop.

Marie Sultana Robinson of Hartford heard about the mask-making activities from a friend

“I looked up how to sew them on YouTube. I’ve got about six yards of material. That can make about 20 masks,” Robinson said.

“I come from a long line of women who rolled bandages for the troops,” Robinson said. “I’ve got the materials. I’ve got the skills. I know the first responders are in horrific situations, way more frightening than the rest of us are going through. … Even if I can only make a few, I feel it’s something I can give back to my community.”

Hartford HealthCare will accept donations of homemade masks, as well as store-bought items in their original, unopened packaging, including disposable head covers, gowns, face masks and gloves; N95 respirator face masks; face-shields and goggles; coveralls and scrubs; shoe covers; disinfection wipes and liquids; and hand cleaners.

Those who want to donate should email [email protected] to set a drop-off time.

Hartford HealthCare spokeswoman Rebecca Stewart said that the hospital will share face-mask patterns on hartfordhealthcare.org/ppe, adding that "there is a strict protocol in place to review and evaluate all donated items to ensure the safety of our colleagues.

“Our infectious-disease experts request that masks be washable. This ensures that they can be laundered and sterilized. We are considering many uses, including using the donations to help support patients who have been sent home to self-isolate. That allows Hartford HealthCare to preserve existing procedure masks and further support our colleagues caring for COVID-19,” Stewart said.

In addition to Hartford Hospital, Hartford HealthCare oversees The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain and Southington, Windham Hospital, Backus Hospital in Norwich, Natchaug Hospital in Mansfield, Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, MidState Medical Center in Meriden, St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport as well as about a dozen other medical facilities statewide.

Jennifer Walker, spokeswoman for UConn Health in Farmington, said that hospital is more skeptical of homemade masks. “We’re not sure that they actually work. We’d like to stick with the medical grade to be on the safe side. At some point we might, but right now we’re discouraging the homemade masks.”

Trinity Health Of New England stated on its Facebook page that it “is now accepting donations for new and unopened N95s respirator masks both medical grade and industrial grade." Trinity Health also is accepting homemade masks.

The Trinity Health hospitals are:

Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center, deliver items to Rick Hewey at the receiving dock at 114 Woodland St. in Hartford. Email [email protected] first before coming.

Johnson Memorial Hospital, deliver items to Brian Rivera at the receiving dock at 201 Chestnut Hill Road in Stafford Springs. Email [email protected] first before coming.

St. Mary’s Hospital, deliver items to Brian Danaher at the receiving dock at 56 Franklin St. in Waterbury. Email [email protected] first before coming.

The website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refers to homemade face masks, as used by health-care personnel, as “a last resort,” and continues: “Homemade masks should ideally be used in combination with a face shield that covers the entire front [that extends to the chin or below] and sides of the face.”

Addressing the anticipated shortage of medical supplies, U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) have called on President Trump to require emergency production of medical supplies: 500 million N95 respiratory masks and pairs of gloves, and 20 million face shields and surgical gowns. The senators cited an “unnecessary competition between states and health care institutions” for resources.

Amid the fear and isolation gripping our state right now in wake of the coronavirus outbreak, neighbors are stepping up in extraordinary ways to help others. In our new “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” series, we will profile those acts of kindness and generosity. If you have an idea, please email it to [email protected].

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