WVU Physician Helps Organize WV Mask Army Creating Protective Masks for Health Care Workers
WVU Charleston physician Dr. Rose Ayoob is working with the West Virginia Mask Army, a collection of doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and seamstresses coming together to create personal protective equipment (PPE) available for our medical professionals on the front lines of West Virginia's COVID-19 pandemic.
The pop-up non-profit, organized by a resourceful group of Appalachian women and led by Suzanne Strait, PHD a professor of biological sciences at Marshall University, has fashioned a facemask design utilizing high quality air filters that are cut and sewed to create a high quality mask for use in health care settings where the need is great. Lowes Home Improvement Store has partnered with the group to provide filters at no cost for the project. Dr. Strait, Dr. Ayoob, Patricia Rogers and Dr. Hilary Brewster are organizing the team that are working separately to sew the masks for local hospitals in need.
Dr. Ayoob is an associate professor of pediatrics at West Virginia University’s School of Medicine Charleston Campus and a pediatric nephrologist with the WVU Physicians of Charleston (WVUPC). “This is a perfect example of true Appalachian spirit,” Dr. Ayoob said. “West Virginians are banding together during this pandemic to keep our medical professionals and our community safe. We are West Virginia strong!”
The group has organized a website at www.westvirginiamaskarmy.com and a Facebook page at "West Virginia Mask Army" and are reaching out to those who sew at home, providing patterns and instructions on how to cut and sew the filters into the PPE masks.
In a recent release by Marshall University, Strait said that "Many of our health professionals are about to put their lives on the line without proper personal protective gear. We still need many more people who can sew to help out. We have raised over $4,000 for this and we have almost all the supplies, but we need more fast, good people who can sew."
"We know our hospitals will soon be inundated by people who are sick," Strait said. "We know the supply chain is broken, and West Virginia will be in short supply. We have designed masks with doctors that will be more effective than a cotton mask. Wednesday is the day we’re trying to (have them to) the hospitals, and we hope to continue as long as needed."
Dr. Bryan Richmond, Chair of the department of surgery at WVU Charleston Campus and Chief Medical Officer for WVU Physicians of Charleston’s clinical operations, was on hand when the group visited Charleston and thanked them for this valuable service to the medical community.
“I think that this is a phenomenal humanitarian project that is both essential and ingenious,” Dr. Richmond said. “The mask is the result of a collaboration between a physician and a PhD virologist. I couldn’t be prouder to have Dr. Ayoob, a WVUPC physician, as one of the leaders of this amazing project.”
The WV Mask Army takes orders from hospitals and medical facilities, then provides materials and sewing instructions to volunteers. volunteers pick up materials at locations listed on the groups “Find Your Hub” page on their website. Masks are sewn by the volunteers at home while practicing social distancing, and are dropped off at locations listed on the WV Mask Army page and then delivered to area hospitals and medical facilities to use, sterilize and reuse.
A Go Fund Me has been set up to help with the project and volunteers are being sought to continue the work.