Greeley Residents Get To Work Making Masks Amid Equipment Shortages
The NOCO Mask Making team saw more than 100 people join in a week. Photo courtesy of Kim Adamson.
Kim Adamson is a doer. Her husband, Aaron, is the idea guy.
Aaron, a Greeley resident and an associate scientist at SciTec in Boulder, has been following all things related to COVID-19 for weeks. Even following the news casually sparked some nervous energy. Aaron, the idea guy, turned that energy into some creative thinking: What if they made face masks to help with Colorado’s equipment shortage?
Almost as soon as he had the idea, Kim got to work. She’s the doer, remember. According to a report by the Denver Post, some Denver-area hospitals urged their employees to “wear the same mask as they moved from patient to patient in the respiratory disease wing” to conserve equipment. Other hospitals were reporting the same concerns.
At first, Kim had a problem: She saw other designs online that seemed overly complicated, and she wasn’t sure they’d be up to hospital standards. But then a friend found a set of simple instructions online put out by Deaconess Health System in Indiana. The hand-sewn masks aren’t intended to be used to care for COVID-19 patients, according to the hospital, but they can fit over health care workers’ N95 masks, prolonging their life, Kim said.
Kim Adamson works to sew masks for the NOCO Mask Making Team with her youngest daughter, Verity in her lap. Photo courtesy of Kim Adamson.
Other hospitals across the nation, such as the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt are requesting donations of hand-sewn face masks as well.
Joann Fabrics, a fabric and craft retailer, is also working to donate fabric and train crafters to make masks, according to a report by KUNC.
Kim started sewing more seriously around Christmas. She sewed a bit before then, but she got a fancy new sewing machine last spring and was intimidated by it, she said, so she put the hobby away. But this Christmas, she started to get her feet wet. It turned out to be perfect timing, she said.
When Aaron had the idea Friday, March 20, about a dozen people were interested in helping out. As of March 25, the NOCO Mask Making Team had 112 members on Facebook.
“This started small, but it’s growing,” Kim said. “People want to do something.”
Because the masks are so simple, Kim said, several volunteers were able to start with materials they already had, such as fabric, elastic and thread. As the group has grown, they’ve been able to delegate responsibilities.
Greeley resident Kelly Cook works to cut fabric to help with the NOCO Mask Making Team’s efforts. Photo courtesy of Kim Adamson.
Some folks, like Kelly Cook, of Greeley, pictured above, cut the fabric while others get supplies.
Kim said the group isn’t doing any hospital drop offs yet, rather, they’re coordinating directly with nurses they know who work at Banner Health.
Banner Health had its own volunteers making cloth masks this week, according to a news release. About 48 Banner Health employees volunteered to cut, roll, fold and staple up to 7,000 masks per day. The masks produced by the volunteers will be distributed to the hospitals with the greatest need, according to the release.
“Providing a safe and secure environment for our health care workers is of the upmost importance,” Sara Quale, spokesperson for Banner Health, wrote in an email. “We are closely monitoring our stock of equipment and supplies, which include personal protective equipment (PPE) so health care workers can safely engage with patients.”
Banner Health in Greeley is not currently accepting donations of handmade masks at the hospital, Quale wrote.
Banner is redirecting folks who want to donate to United Way of Weld County.
“United Way is distributing those masks to a wider audience,” Quale wrote.
Kim said the NOCO Mask Making Team also reached out to a couple Colorado hospitals to gauge interest on a larger scale.
“It’s been a beautiful way to bring our community together and not feel so isolated,” Kim said.