RENTON, Wash. — Protective medical gear, including masks, gloves and surgical gowns, are hard to find right now, even for hospitals.
So Providence St. Joseph, which includes more than 35 hospitals and health care facilities all over the state, is taking matters into their own hands.
Staffers of the Renton-based organization hit up local hardware and craft stores for common materials, and made face shields for doctors, nurses and other Seattle-area caregivers in its system.
Protective gear is badly needed to protect nurses, doctors and other caregivers on the front lines of the efforts to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
The face shields and masks help provide some protection against the highly contagious coronavirus that causes the respiratory disease COVID-19.
“We’re trying to provide our caregivers with things to keep them as safe as possible,” said Andria Moore, Providence St. Joseph’s program manager for nursing practice and quality. “So using the resources that we have, we’re trying to create that for them.”
The handmade face shields were welcomed by the front-line health care workers, who asked for more of them. Providence St. Joseph includes Pacific Medical Centers and Swedish Health Services.
With the help of some volunteers, Providence St. Joseph made 500 OSHA-grade face shields this week and plan to make 1,000 more, hospital officials told KING 5.
This same team is also working on a prototype surgical mask.
Volunteer opportunity
Providence is asking anyone in western Washington with sewing skills and a sewing machine to help make masks.
"Anyone with a willing heart and the ability to sew can help us protect our caregivers by sewing masks they can wear on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19," a blog post reads.
Providence is providing kits to volunteers at various times and locations.