Help! Local medical group needs public aid to make coronavirus protection masks usable
Sewers needed!
Tidelands Health, which operates hospitals and medical facilities in the Grand Strand and Myrtle Beach area, is imploring those with sewing skills to help its medical professionals.
The hospital has several thousand never-used N95 respirators in its warehouse, officials say. They were acquired during a previous health emergency, but were never used. The problem is the elastic straps have become brittle over time and need to be replaced before being used.
The masks cover a medical worker’s face, which allows them to breathe and prevent contracting respiratory diseases, such as coronavirus.
On Tuesday, Tidelands Health asked anybody with sewing experience to visit tidelandshealth.org, or call 1-866-843-3526.
“We are reaching out to our community and asking for your help,” said Pam Maxwell, the health system’s chief nursing officer, in the announcement. “If you can sew, we’d like you to join our effort to sew new elastic straps on these respirators. This is a concrete way our community can help our health care professionals who are on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19.”
Volunteers will be given the supplies and instructions to replace the straps.
The hospital is not asking for homemade masks at this time.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 5:39 PM.
