WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – All across the country, we’ve seen a need for protective gear for our health care workers who are on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis.
“We’re going to continue needing this [personal protecetive] equipment badly,” Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) said Friday.
Jones said as cases in his state continue to grow, so does the need for resources from health care workers on the frontlines.
“It’s not just the frontline hospital workers that need this stuff, it’s our first responders, it’s other people, it’s the public,” Jones added.
As some health care workers demonstrate for more gear, some Americans are stepping up to help.
“So I started to post about my sewing and all my friends started sewing,” Hillary Cohen said Friday.
The California TV director turned mask maker has turned her home into a sewing studio, creating 500 homemade masks since the crisis began.
Now she’s calling on people from around the world to join her for a 12-hour sewing marathon this Saturday. Cohen said you can use fabric lying around the house or spare bedsheets to pitch in.
Republican North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said the actions of people like Cohen are not only heartwarming but important.
“It will sustain the day-to-day operations in states like North Carolina while we reserve a portion of the stockpile,” he said.
Tillis said a new $1.3 billion grant was approved with the third relief bill to help health care centers across the country get more PPE.
But until that money arrives, people like Cohen stand ready to sew.
“That’s been the coolest part, people coming together when we’re apart.”
For more information, go to CallToCrafting.com.
