Volunteers in Georgia Sew Masks to Help Health Care Providers Facing Dire Mask Shortage

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact communities across the country, it's important we support the men and women in the health care system who are working around the clock to help people.

One such group of generous-hearted people in Albany, Georgia is doing just that by sewing masks that medical professionals can put over N95 respirator masks. As Good Morning America originally reported, volunteers for the staff at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital recently banded together to make such masks given the dire shortage the hospital is facing in light of the coronavirus crisis.

"We've gone through...six months of personal protective equipment in just seven days," Scott Steiner, CEO of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, told ABC's Good Morning America. While not a solution to the growing N95 mask shortage crisis, the exterior masks can be reused by health care workers after they're cleaned to serve as additional backup during this difficult situation.

So far, roughly 50 volunteers are busy sewing masks and Steiner estimates they can make up to 200,000 of them. Now, the hospital's Facebook page even shared a post with instructions for others on making these exterior masks: "We are overwhelmed with the outpouring support we have received regarding making homemade face masks. Individuals and organizations across the country and the world have reached out to us to not only help sew masks but to inquire about the pattern so they can duplicate in their community," the statement read. "Here are our mask instructions, pattern and some pictures of the process. We hope this will help healthcare professionals everywhere stay safe and healthy so they can keep caring for patients."

Worth noting: If you decide to get sewing yourself, make sure you follow the current orders from the White House for older people and those with underlying medical conditions to stay home and that everyone to limit gatherings to 10 people or less. If you do gather in a group, make sure to practice social distancing with six feet between you and others.

"We band together when the going gets tough," Steiner said in his interview with GMA. Today, we know we'll be thinking of ways we can help our area's health care workers and give back like this inspiring Georgia community.

For more information regarding the coronavirus outbreak visit the CDC's website here.