OPG employees sew thousands of masks for hospitals, care facilities
OPG employees have put their sewing skills to work over the last few months to produce thousands of cloth masks for Ontario’s hospitals and health-care facilities to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
The volunteer effort has already seen more than 9,000 masks sewn and donated to Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg after the hospital donated enough H600 Halyard fabric to make face masks for non-medical use.
Now, a second sewing blitz is underway at OPG. The company has purchased enough materials to make more than 5,000 additional masks, which are based on a design by the University of Florida Health.
Once completed, this second round of masks will be donated to hospitals and long-term care facilities in OPG’s host communities, including Arnprior Hospital, Renfrew Hospital, Barry’s Bay Hospital, Deep River Hospital, the Alzheimer Society of Durham Region, Community Care Durham Region, Bowmanville Older Adults Association, and Community Living – Oshawa Clarington.
“The timing couldn’t be better as we see new laws coming into place making masks mandatory in indoor public spaces,” said Lisa McBride, a Manager of Stakeholder Relations with OPG who has helped lead the company-wide sewing initiative. “We’ve heard a real need for non-medical cloth masks from several hospitals and care facilities, as anybody visiting a patient needs to wear masks in these facilities. We’re hoping to help continue meet this need.”
“We’ve heard a real need for non-medical cloth masks from several hospitals and care facilities.... We’re hoping to help continue meet this need.”Lisa McBride, Manager of Stakeholder Relations with OPG
As part of the effort, interested employees who own sewing machines receive sterilized sewing kits, each with enough fabric to produce 35 masks and taking roughly two to three weeks to complete. After each mask is sewn, instructions are provided to properly sterilize them before they’re sealed in plastic bags ready for distribution.
Some eager employees have taken on several kits at once, transforming entire living rooms or kitchens into makeshift mask assembly lines.
“We have had a great response from employees across the company,” said McBride. “Employees have shared their tips and experiences, and it’s been a nice way to spend free time while helping out the community during this time of need.”
To date, OPG has donated more than 1.1 million pieces of personal protective equipment, including face shields produced on the company’s 3D printers. The company also continues to produce Cobalt-60, a medical isotope used to irradiate and sterilize about 40 per cent of the world’s single-use medical devices, such as syringes, gloves, and surgical instruments.
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