
FreeSewing: 1-Page PDF Face Mask Pattern - kerkeslager
https://freesewing.org/blog/facemask-frenzy/
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It's been pointed out to me that one should check with local facilities before
setting off on this project, to verify that they in fact want any. My partner
is a clothing designer and gets this forwarded to her a couple of times a day,
and she did some research and found that local facilities were not requesting
or accepting homemade masks and the nearest ones that were were many hours
drive away and required for some reason in-person dropoffs, in addition to
having "enough for now."

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kerkeslager
This comment is a typical HN anecdata focusing on one small issue while
ignoring the many ways this is useful.

1\. Mailing facemasks to where they're needed is one of the few good uses of
the mail system right now. There's absolutely no reason this has to be a local
effort. I'm sure there's a hospital somewhere that would accept these.

2\. Ideally, there would be enough facemasks for _everyone_ to wear a
facemask. Prioritizing healthcare workers is a smart move right now, but even
if there aren't healthcare facilities accepting these, there's no downside to
giving masks to the general populace.

3\. Building on #2, if we can get face masks to people, that might prevent
people from buying up all the medical-grade masks that are in short supply
right now.

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If you're sure, please suggest a medical facility currently willing to accept
homemade masks via USPS.

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kerkeslager
I know of one place near me, but if I go posting that all over the internet,
they'll be inundated and stop accepting them. It's better that people do their
own legwork to keep this decentralized. An alternative would be for someone to
do the legwork of calling a lot of hospitals and create a comprehensive list
of where masks are needed, which is something I'd be totally into if I weren't
inundated with work right now.

