Nurses at Kaiser Vallejo wear masks provided by the mask making project spearheaded by Benicia residents Bodil and Larnie Fox. 460 masks have been distributed by 25 mask makers as of March 31.
Galen Kusic, Editor
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to engulf the world, U.S. and Calif., people are getting creative to protect health care workers and flatten the curve. As of press time Tue., there were at least 183,532 cases across 50 states and more than 3,600 deaths attributed to the respiratory illness. In Calif. alone, the state announced 6,932 cases with 150 deaths.
Locally in Benicia, Bodil and her husband Larnie Fox have displayed ingenuity through artistic creativity and networking by making hand-sewn masks to help health care workers.
The project started when Bodil met her neighbor, Marcella Spurgeon, a nurse at Kaiser Vallejo, on a walk on March 20. Marcella told her how she and other nurses were working without any sort of protection. Bodil (a textile artist) wondered if hand-sewn masks would help, and Marcella’s response was an enthusiastic, “YES!”
Alta Bates doctors show off their functional and stylish masks.
Bodil started sewing masks, and soon heard that her friend Ruby Wallis was “making masks, full tilt.” Ruby had designed a simple, easily-made mask that was big enough to cover an N95, thus extending its life. Bodil and Larnie made a video explaining Ruby’s technique: youtu.be/Uyh6iAKqrao, which has over 2,000 views on Facebook and Youtube.
The emails, texts, social media posts and phone calls exploded after Councilmember Steve Young posted information about the project on Facebook. Seeing that Bodil was swamped, Larnie began helping her with the project full time.
“We are fielding requests for hundreds of masks at this point,” said Larnie.
Alta Bates midwife Lior Mayer wears a hand-sewn mask made by Bodil and Larnie Fox’s mask maker group.
As of March 31, there have been 460 hand-sewn masks made with 25 mask makers working. They are being distributed to Benicia nurses working at Kaiser Vallejo, Oakland Children’s Hospital, Alta Bates Berkeley, Kaiser San Rafael and to several other health care centers.
“I have brought in masks for Labor and Delivery and the nurses and docs are so appreciative!” said Alta Bates midwife Lior Mayer. “It is so heartwarming, and very useful. Everyone loves knowing they are extending the lives of the ONE mask we are given per shift, and also appearing more friendly to our patients with these beautiful fabric masks on. Everyone sends a big thank you!”
The masks are washed and sterilized before using. The mask makers are very aware of the fact that these masks do not replace real PPE (personal protective equipment), but as nurses are saying, they are better than nothing.
“We are going the unofficial route – getting them to nurses that work at these facilities who distribute them to their co-workers,” said Larnie. “They report that the people who get them are really grateful, and our homemade masks are most definitely being used and may be saving lives.”
Nurses at Alta Bates use hand-sewn masks to help with the current N-95 mask shortages.
The project is seeking donations of 100 percent cotton fabric, at least 11×16 inches, 1/4 inch elastic, rubbing alcohol for sterilizing masks and supplies and people who have sewing machines and can sew. They encourage any frontline workers who need masks to let the project know. If you live nearby and would like to help by sewing, donating materials or identifying needs, please contact the project at bodilfox@gmail.com.
For those that do not have this capability, people are urged to find somehow or someway to help health care workers or those in need during the crisis.
“The need is real,” said Larnie. “We know these masks are not ideal, but they are much better than the nothing that is currently available.”
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Thank you for publishing this article. It makes me proud to be a Benicia citizen & friends with so many of these mask makers. I myself do not have a sewing machine, so I sent a monitery donation to help with the cost of materials. You can send a check made out to Linda Wallis c/o 695 East K St, Benicia CA 94510. In the comment section of the check write: “donation for mask making materials”. As long as they have the materials, they will keep making masks & distribute them to hospital workers!
We nurses cannot be using masks without a vapor barrier. But there are several materials that meet this criteria! So please if you are making masks to help us, please make them safe ones so as not to give us a false sense of security. The news this morning had a great suggestion to make them out of vacuum cleaner bag material. There are other materials that also may be used.. Thanks to you all for the great effort. Also the cotton ones can be used by the public on the street to help prevent all the silent transmissions that are happening! Again, thank-you!
Hi Ebba ~
Thank you so much for your brave work now as a nurse! We are doing whatever the nurses request. Some of the nurses we’re working with have asked for masks with pockets for filters ~ but they are more complicated and so take longer to sew. We are producing these if requested. Most of what we’re making are fast, easy and simple so we can meet the huge need sooner rather than later. These “Ruby” style masks are designed to be worn over an N95 to extend its life. Wearing them without a filter is a little protection for the nurse, but more protection for everyone she or he encounters ~ much better than the nothing that they had before. Do be careful cutting up vacuum cleaner bags. Some filters have glass micro-fibers. The jury is still out on their safety. We trust our healthcare professionals to make intelligent choices about using hand-sewn masks. I hope that explains our thinking.
The feds are kicking down $1200 tax free to most adults in this city. Those with dependent children will get $500 per. Pay it forward and send this mobilization of local talent a nice clean personal check as they ramp up production of a vital component of this war. Thanks again to Steve Young for being the catalyst that sent this effort into high gear.
Thanks Stan, but I hardly count as the catalyst. Program is spearheaded by local Benicia artists Bodil and Larnie Fox and Ruby Wallis. Their group of Benicia Mask Makers now numbers over 30, and has produced over 1200 masks for health service workers. My role was to simply publicize and amplify their effort through social media.
It’s time to make your own mask:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/opinion/coronavirus-n95-mask.html
Thank you from all the team at Kaiser Vallejo AACC for making us masks! They feel your love and caring!