The Wyoming Medical Center, like other hospitals nationwide, needs face masks, isolation gowns, surgical masks and other personal protective equipment as it deals with the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

The Medical Center is conserving its equipment, and is looking for volunteers to sew those items, especially isolation gowns to protect hospital staff treating patients with infectious illnesses, spokeswoman Kristy Bleizeffer said in a news release.

Its biggest need now are isolation gowns to protect staff treating patients with infectious illnesses.

Loretta Miller of Mountain View Baptist Church has volunteered to organize community seamstresses and has patterns approved for our purposes. Email her at polar.ice2712@yahoo.com to join the group.

If you're not part of a group, the hospital offers these guidelines for making personal protective equipment:

Isolation gowns:

  • Use medium to thick soft cotton, preferably Pima or KONA cotton.
  • Each gown requires about two yards of fabric. To donate fabric, email Loretta at polar.ice2712@yahoo.com.
  • Physical patterns are large, but can be picked up at the Kalico Kat Quilt Shop, 1239 S. Elk St.
  • Click here to download step-by-step instructions.

Cloth masks:

  • Use a single layer of 100% cotton fabric, preferably T-shirt type material. This provides the best balance of filtering capability.
  • Tying strings are preferred over elastic straps, but either is acceptable.
  • Click here to download a pattern that works well for our needs.

Surgical masks:

  • Use a single layer of non-woven fabric over a single layer of 100% cotton fabric; or two layers of medium thickness melt blown non-woven fabric.
  • Tying strings only, no elastic straps.
  • Click here to download a pattern that works well for our needs.

Universal caps: 

  • Use 100% cotton material and cotton ribbon.
  • Click here to download a pattern that works well for our needs.

All cloth donations will be laundered according to hospital protocol before use.

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You may drop off donations at bins in the Sky Lobby of the Wyoming Medical Center. To get there, enter through the West Parking Garage in the 200 block of South Jackson Street. Hours for donation are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

You also may drop off donations at the Mills Police Department, 4800 W. Yellowstone Highway, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Natrona County Emergency Operations Center set up a donation center there for personal protective equipment to be redistributed to agencies throughout the community, including the Wyoming Medical Center.

The hospital will be working with the Emergency Operations Center to help other agencies with their needs.

The Wyoming Medical Center will continue to monitor its personal protective equipment stock and needs, and may revise its requests in the future.

 

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How to Sew a Face Mask

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