Omahans Seek to Mobilize Volunteers to Sew 10,000 Masks

Holly Barstow, her husband, Bruce, and neighbor Patricia Longacre are spearheading an effort to sew 10,000 face masks for medical personnel at Methodist Health System. And maybe for other hospitals, too.

These special masks are larger and made to go over the hard-to-get N95 masks that staff need, allowing them to be used more than once. Instead of throwing away the N95 mask after each encounter with a patient, the cloth mask can be removed and tossed in the laundry. And a clean, sanitized one can be donned before staff walk into the next room.

Bill Lydiatt, vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital, said it’s heartwarming to see how people want to help.

“The fact that health systems across the country, as well as our own local providers, are being challenged by the shortage of supplies, masks such as these will help us preserve our personal protective equipment which is so vital to how we care for our patients,’’ he said.

Omaha World-Herald: Omahans seek to mobilize an army of volunteers to sew 10,000 face masks for medical personnel

Omaha World-Herald: Sewing of masks is stretching resources, but there's plenty of opportunities to help