Online Campaign Prompts Crafters To Make Face Masks For Oswego Health

by Kassadee Bradshaw | April 4, 2020 11:35 am

OSWEGO COUNTY – Since the COVID-19 crisis began the county community has not just had a shortage of toilet paper or hand sanitizer – there has also been a shortage in personal protective equipment. 

However, members of the community are coming together with a solution to help out the workers in the medical field by making fabric face masks and donating them.

In collaboration with Oswego Health, its Foundation and the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce, and Quilt with Passion, Novelis created  “SOH 2020,”[1] an online campaign designed to Support Oswego Health and the medical professionals caring for our community.

SOH 2020 is an online call to action for the community to make fabric masks to donate to Oswego Health and to perform various acts of kindness to support medical personnel in Oswego County. 

Leila Giancone, communications lead at Novelis, said the goal for the call to action is multifunctional, with the objectives to create a sense of community online supporting medical personnel and one another, fulfill a need for PPE, especially facemasks, through DIY and in-kind donations, and support the financial impact on the community.

“Through this event, we have been working with Oswego Health Foundation to help encourage the donation of new/unopened N95 masks, safety goggles, face shields, gloves and hand sanitizer to distribute to medical personnel and first responders,” Giancone said. “Novelis and the amazing people in our community want to help, so we worked with subject matter experts to determine where we could make an immediate and positive social impact. We will continue to look for opportunities to support the communities in which we live and work.”

She said Novelis also wanted to create a platform that would allow the community members to share words of encouragement and notes of thanks to those on the front lines right now by offering moral support.

For every 15 face masks made and donated to Oswego Health, Novelis has pledged to donate $20 from March 28 to April 11. The goal is to reach 2,020 face masks. She said not everyone who wants to help out financially has the means to do so right now, so Novelis found a way to show support to everyone creating the homemade face masks.

“In addition to the $10K donated to COVID-19 relief efforts last week (to Oswego Health Foundation and Oswego School District for meal delivery program), Novelis has also donated PPE (i.e. safety goggles and medical grade face masks) to Oswego Health and continues to collaborate with our incredible industry and community partners to support COVID-19 response and relief efforts,” Giancone said. “For example, we also collaborated with SUNY Oswego and industry partner, Exelon, [to] help the production of face shields by providing materials (filament).”

Executive Director of the Oswego Health Foundation, Margaret Barclay, said they began working on this call to action with Novelis in March having established a long relationship with the plant who has been a long-time supporter and friend to Oswego Health.

“We have been incredibly touched by the support of so many businesses, donors and friends of Oswego Health,” Barclay said.

Barclay said the masks the community is making come through the Foundation office to Oswego Health. Some are dropped off at Oswego Hospital or are mailed in, and once they go through the office, they are tracked and then they send the maker a thank you note or email. Once Oswego Health receives the masks, they are laundered, sanitized and dispensed. 

“These homemade masks are not to replace N95 or isolation or surgical masks,” Barclay said. “They are currently being used for the well staff at our Skilled Nursing Facilities and as needed in the future here at Oswego Health.”

Oswego Health has already received hundreds of homemade masks since the SOH 2020 campaign began on March 28, just last week.

“We are encouraging people to show their support by writing a note of thanks to our medical professionals, sending a video of gratitude, words of encouragement to all the frontline workers and emergency responders in our county and larger community,” Barclay said. “We are also encouraging people to stay at home, call their friends, family and people that could feel isolated. Many people are reaching out to senior citizens that are isolated in nursing homes and hospitals with cards, notes and phone calls. If people must leave their house, we encourage them to practice social distancing and to support those who need our help in this difficult time.”

Homemade masks can be mailed to 110 W. 6 St., Oswego, N.Y., 13126 or dropped off to Oswego Health Foundation at 127 W. 6 St., Oswego, N.Y., 13126. Please place all masks inside of the green Novelis bin located on the front porch and practice social distancing when dropping them off.

Oswego Health is also accepting new/unopened N95 masks, safety goggles, face shields, gloves and hand sanitizers to distribute to medical personnel and first responders. Monetary donations can be made to the Oswego Health Foundation at https://www.oswegohealth.org/foundation/donate-now/[2]. 

You can find more information on fabric face masks here[3].

 

 

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/online-campaign-prompts-crafters-to-make-face-masks-for-oswego-health/

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