Photo Credit: Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation
A group of more than 50 local crafters created and donated 7,700 new, reusable facemasks to Northumberland Hills Hospital, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Volunteer Jessica Sears created the ‘blue mask initiative,’ to help provide facemasks for anyone needed to visit the hospital, during the first months of the pandemic, including: outpatients that were receiving chemotherapy/dialysis, in-patients that were being discharged and essential visitors to NHH.
The idea for the project was the result of a conversation that Jessica’s husband Tom had, with the hospital’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Mukesh Bhargava.
Jessica says the group of volunteers were excited to have a new charitable project to focus on and contribute to, when everyone was being asked to stay home as much as possible.
Northumberland businesses that provided supplies and support, include: Stitch Witch in Cobourg (helping to recruit local crafters to sew masks,) Acme Electric (providing copper wire for the nosepieces,) Vosburgh Home Décor (provided elastics for the facemasks) and local consultant Colin Davis (helped to cut the the fabric and provided materials, during the start of the project.)
Similar projects were also started in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Durham – NHH staff/screeners are now able to provide medical-grade masks for all hospital patients/visitors.
Listen for the interview here:
