﻿﻿

PHOENIX — Banner Health needs 100,000 donations of homemade, “social comfort” face masks to fight the coronavirus.

Patient services, administration staff and the pharmacy could really use them.

“It gives them a physical barrier to help prevent the spread of the virus and helps them feel safer at work,” said Banner Health Foundation CEO Andy Kramer Petersen.

She added that material for the social comfort masks must be able to be laundered and follow CDC guidelines.

“This type of mask helps us conserve the personal protective equipment that our critical frontline workers need now,” Petersen said.

She also hopes to give the masks to patients upon discharge after a predicted surge in COVID-19 cases later this month.

A Banner Health press release added that “donated masks will be professionally laundered by Prestige Cleaners, which has generously donated its services, before being given to staff and patients. After receiving a clean mask, staff and patients will be advised to personally launder their masks daily.”

Petersen said Banner already has 50,000 medical-grade masks, but the healthcare provider still needs 100,000 hand-sewn masks.

Follow @ktarpetersamore

For all articles, information and updates on the coronavirus from KTAR News, visit ktar.com/coronavirus.