“When I saw them I thought, ‘That’s brilliant,’” Robbins said.
Face shields are a form of personal protective equipment being used by healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19, used to protect the eyes, nose, and mouth from splashes, sprays, and the spatter of body fluids. They are generally not used alone, but rather in conjunction with other protective equipment, according to the Journal of Occupation and Environmental Hygiene.
Robbins, a Bellaire resident, is known by friends as a woman who “does it all,” according to an April 15 news release about the project.
“When someone in the community is in need, or when someone has a project, Robbins is the first to volunteer her time and her creativity,” the news release states.
That sense of volunteerism fueled Robbins when she created some postcards and placed them in mailboxes around her neighborhood on Bellview and Wellford, asking for community help in creating face masks.
“The response was overwhelming,” Robbins said.
There were 45 families that volunteered, who took just a week to create 500 face masks, between April 3 and April 10.
“People like myself, want to help in some way, and there’s not a whole lot we could do,” Robbins said. “This is a way to give back to the first responders, since they don’t have what they need to protect themselves.”
The idea of delivering to hospitals came to Robbins because of a more personal reason: her niece works in the COVID unit at St. Luke’s.
Other than St. Luke’s face shields have gone to the VA Hospital and a charity in Houston called Project C.U.R.E.. which focuses on delivering life-saving medical equipment and supplies to hospitals and clinics in the under-resourced world, according to its webpage.
In order to simplify the process of creating a mask and make it a family activity, the Bellaire families used online instructions, as well as a Youtube video on the process from Robbins, utilizing kits of materials, including plastic bands, hair ties, zip ties, and clear plastic sheet.
Bentley Custom Homes, a local business, purchased and donated all of the supplies to create over 45 kits, complete with all of the supplies and tools needed to make the shields.
“This was a community effort,” Robbins said. “This was everybody coming together.”
Efforts continue, however, as during the week of April 20, Robbins and more of the Bellaire community are in the process of creating even more face shields to go to healthcare workers, with a goal of 500.
