{"id":1319231,"date":"2020-04-02T14:19:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T20:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/?p=475931"},"modified":"2020-04-02T14:46:48","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T20:46:48","slug":"community-rallying-to-make-masks-for-workers-on-the-front-lines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/community-rallying-to-make-masks-for-workers-on-the-front-lines\/","title":{"rendered":"Community rallying to make masks for workers on the front lines"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While most materials at home can\u2019t perfectly emulate the official N95 masks that frontline health care employees are using, additional masks are serving to prolong the life of the N95 masks.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vailhealth.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vail Health<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> has set up three internal sewing stations across the valley for its employees from a variety of departments to make masks, being distributed to employees at Vail Health and Colorado Mountain Medical as well as Eagle County Paramedic Services and other EMS services.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis program is important because it provides additional PPE resources and also helps provide hours to other employees who have seen an impact because of COVID-19,\u201d said Dan Pennington, Vail Health Foundation president and chief philanthropy officer, who is overseeing the mask-making program, in a news release. \u201cThese masks are serving to prolong the life of the N95 masks frontline employees are wearing. They are intended to be worn over the N95 masks and then disposed of when soiled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Community members are rallying to help provide masks for Vail Health, which are then distributed to other services. On Facebook, the Eagle County Sewing for Health Workers group started on March 21. As of the end of the month, it has over 70 members taking direction from Vail Health.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row vail-donation vail-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/VD-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/VD-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/vail-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Community members interested in sewing 100% cotton masks can visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vailhealth.org\/covid-19\/way-to-help\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">http:\/\/www.vailhealth.org\/covid-19\/way-to-help<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> for pattern instructions. Masks made by the community can be dropped off in the Vail Health PPE donation bins and will be distributed to other frontline businesses, such as grocery stores, banks, gas stations, etc., throughout the valley.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor official medical use, there are specific materials that must be used, which is why we have focused our internal efforts on mask-making for medical use. We are grateful for the community\u2019s interest in making masks and encourage them to drop off their homemade masks at our donation bins so the material can be cleaned and distributed to local businesses that are currently serving our community,\u201d Pennington said.<\/p>\n<p>Vail Health has also partnered with Melanzana in Leadville to help increase our production. This partnership allows Vail Health to offer masks to more staff and EMS in the valley.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018I\u2019ve never made a mask\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Amy Reyes, of Eagle, is a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/2332084430417452\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eagle County Sewing for Health Workers<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> group on Facebook. She is a volunteer for Vail Health so reached out quickly about offering help. She\u2019s making masks at home with her mother out of what they have available.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe always hold on to those scrap fabrics because you never know when you might need them,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd now we need them and can use them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elastic is proving to be a difficult item to find for the straps. The suggested masks feature a sewn pouch inside for a filter to be placed, and removed, making it washable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have made aprons, curtains, pillows and a couple dresses in my life,\u201d Reyes said, \u201cbut I\u2019ve never made a mask, so that\u2019s a new one. But the basic skills are the same.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes said each member of the Facebook group is working at their own pace. And if there\u2019s people in the valley who don\u2019t sew but want to help, there\u2019s an opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you aren\u2019t a sewer but have access to materials you would be willing to donate, there\u2019s an opportunity to just donate materials. That\u2019s a way to help,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Join the group on Facebook to share best practices, tips and support at Eagle County Sewing for Health Workers.<\/p>\n<h2>Masks, with style<\/h2>\n<p>Stephanie Fleck, of Avon, has some extra time on her hands as the owner of Party Girl Events, working as a wedding and event planner. Many events have been canceled or postponed, but clients are still booking for the summer.<\/p>\n<p>Fleck made her own mask, using stylish designs and air conditioning filters. Her sister works in a Philadelphia hospital.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked some of my friends who are nurses in Vail who said they were good, but then I was talking to my sister in Philly who said they\u2019re using scarves because they need all of the equipment for the COVID-19 floors, so her floor didn\u2019t have any legitimate materials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fleck sent 50 masks to her sister and her coworkers earlier in March.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI use the cutest materials,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/IMG_4487-768x1024.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-475933\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/IMG_4487-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/IMG_4487-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/IMG_4487-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/IMG_4487-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/IMG_4487-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/IMG_4487-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"><figcaption><strong>Avon resident Stephanie Fleck reached out to local hospitals before sending 50 masks to her sister, who works in a hospital in Philadelphia in need of masks.<\/strong><br \/><em>Special to the Daily<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fleck is now selling masks to friends and community members on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/EagleCountyClassifieds\/permalink\/3153894141328177\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> for $5, as she\u2019s putting financial resources into making the masks and just wants to cover costs, she said. Since posting on Facebook, she received over a dozen requests within the first day.<\/p>\n<p>The masks feature the pouch so the filter can come out and the mask can be washed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese aren\u2019t N95s, obviously, I\u2019m making them out of air conditioning filters and fabric, but when I wear mine to the store, I feel so much safer, and they look cute,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h2>CDC information on masks<\/h2>\n<p>On the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention website, officials address frequently asked questions, including those about respirator masks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe role of facemasks is for patient source control, to prevent contamination of the surrounding area when a person coughs or sneezes.\u202f Patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should wear a facemask until they are isolated in a hospital or at home. The patient does not need to wear a facemask while isolated,\u201d the website reads.<\/p>\n<p>While most materials at home can\u2019t perfectly emulate the official N95 masks that frontline health care employees are using, additional masks are serving to prolong the life of the N95 masks.<\/p>\n<p>For more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/hcp\/respirator-use-faq.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cdc.gov<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/news\/community-rallying-to-make-masks-for-workers-on-the-front-lines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Vail Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While most materials at home can\u2019t perfectly emulate the official N95 masks that frontline health care employees are using, additional masks are serving to prolong the life of the N95 masks. Vail Health has set up three internal sewing stations across the valley for its employees from a variety of departments to make masks, being [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1319231","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-28 04:44:57","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1319231"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1319233,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319231\/revisions\/1319233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1319231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1319231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1319231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}