Join the Health Autonomy Network to find out about local mutual aid networks making masks, and learn how to make your own. [REMEMBER the use of a mask is NOT a substitute for keeping a distance of 6 feet from other people whenever possible.] This zoom workshop is led by Eileen J. Raab, with the New Lebanon Health Assembly and  “Community Care Planning,” a mutual aid organization based in Columbia County, NY. Of all the failings of the US capitalist model of healthcare that have developed in the Covid Pandemic, none is perhaps as well-known and despicable as the shortage of masks.  Across the country, states and hospitals are scrambling to purchase masks and PPE (personal protective equipment).  Because of a lack of preparation and a business model that does not plan for emergencies, this most essential of items is in critical shortage, leaving healthcare workers, grocery workers, food workers, sanitation workers, and millions of other frontline people without this protection.

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About the Workshop:

At the same time as the governments fail us, local communities are self-organizing their own response.  In what started as an individual action, the DIY Mask Making movement has blossomed as people across the country scramble to assess needs, compile resources, hand sew masks, build distribution networks, and find ways to protect the frontline workers they love.  

We have partnered with New Lebanon Health Assembly and  “Community Care Planning”, a mutual aid organization based in Columbia County, NY for this Zoom workshop.  Eileen J. Raab, a nurse and lifetime local to the area will teach you how to make your own mask as well as introduce you to the mutual aid networks that have resulted from the demand.  A HUGE thank you to Eileen and these groups for your care and energy!

The information included in this workshop is adapted from the CDC’s best practices to prevent the spread of disease. The pattern is based on the pattern from The Turban Project, which is the mask the majority of hospitals across the country are accepting. 

If you would like to make a mask with Eileen, please follow LHA COVID-19 Tutorial- How to make a fabric mask for patterns and check out the list of needed items:

• Tightly woven 100% cotton fabric
• Filter material, such as non woven interfacing or home air filter material
• At least 14″ of 1/8-1/4″ braided elastic
• Scissors, pins, a ruler and a sewing machine

The information included in this workshop is adapted from the CDC’s best practices to prevent the spread of disease. The pattern is based on the pattern from The Turban Project, which is the mask the majority of hospitals across the country are accepting. 

About Eileen Raab

Eileen Raab is a local nurse, lifelong local to the area, mother and much more. She organizes with Lebanon Health Assembly and the mutual aid group, Community Care Planning.

We are committed to lowering the barriers to access for events at The Sanctuary for Independent Media. For people who are hard of hearing or deaf, blind or low-vision, or whose physical limitations can interfere with a satisfying experience, let us know two weeks in advance so we can make appropriate arrangements.