Page 36 - BusinessWest April 27, 2020

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Meeting the Need
Holyoke Medical Center has shared personal protective equipment (PPE) with local first responders, including Action Ambulance, South Hadley Fire Department, and the city of Springfield. The donations included 700 face shields, 1,000 KN95 face masks, and 1,500 standard face masks for the respond- ers to give to people they interact with
at a distance closer than six feet. Holyoke Medical Center executives also spoke with officials in other surrounding municipali- ties, most of which had an adequate current supply of masks and face shields. Pictured: Action Ambulance Supervisor Kyle Rondeau, HMC President and CEO Spiros Hatiras, and HMC Chief Operating Officer Carl Cameron.
Mask Maker, Mask Maker,
Make Me a Mask
When the COVID-19 pandemic made wearing face masks a public health con- cern, those masks suddenly become hard to find — and Lauren Hummel and Donna Fournier sprang into action. Fournier’s mother taught her to sew long ago, and she had a lot of fabric on hand, so she started making masks — 50 to begin with, mostly for her family. Hummel started by making a mask for herself, and friends reached out wondering if she would make masks for them. Both eventually connected with the Mental Health Assoc. to make masks for staff who work in MHA’s group homes, who are considered essen- tial workers. Hummel got her daughter, Kellie, involved as well (pictured), and MHA continues to look for volunteer sewers.
Bedtime Stories
Link to Libraries recently launched a new initia- tive called “Link Live: Bedtime Stories,” airing
on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. on Facebook Live. Children’s book authors are read- ing their own books and then taking questions from participants. With the use of Facebook, children and their parents can not only enjoy being read to, but also have the unique oppor- tunity to interact with the author in real time. The first authors who participated were Ashley Morse (The Big E Book, pictured), Jamie Michalak (The Coziest Place), Anika Aldamuy Denise (The Love Letter), Josh Funk (Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast), and Cynthia Platt (A Little Bit of Love). Link to Libraries is planning to extend the program into May and will release an updated schedule soon.
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