Salem Regional Medical Center wants your homemade masks

Credit: WKBN

The hospital is expecting a surge of COVID-19 patients and is trying to stretch its supplies

Posted: Mar 25, 2020 / 11:17 PM EDT

Updated: Mar 25, 2020 / 11:17 PM EDT

SALEM, Ohio (WKBN) – Salem Regional Medical Center wants your homemade masks to help fight COVID-19.

The hospital, anticipating a surge of patients, is asking people with sewing skills to make three-layer masks for its frontline doctors and nurses.

You’ll need polyester fabric, 100% cotton fabric, bias tape or elastic loops, and pipe cleaners.

Specific instructions on how to sew three-layer masks

“As SRMC prepares to receive a surge of patients locally, we are looking at all of the ways to conserve our PPE [personal protective equipment] so it is available when we face the highest-risk situations,” said president and CEO Anita Hackstedde, M.D. “These homemade PPE items can help stretch our supplies as we battle this virus and care for our community.”

You can drop the masks off at the hospital’s main lobby, located at 1995 E. State St., between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please put them in a clearly-marked bag.

If you or anyone in your household is feeling sick, you should not donate masks.

Salem Regional is also planning to release instructions on how to sew washable gowns, bouffant caps and shoe covers. That information will be posted on the hospital’s website.