In the absence of sound leadership from the White House and Tallahassee, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are begging for donations of medical supplies, specifically masks and face shields. Thankfully, our neighbors and friends are stepping up.
In Tampa, Andrew Watson’s Built furniture and fixture shop (stylized “BUILT”) tasked his 3-D printers with making biodegradable face masks until Built runs out of filament. It takes three hours to print one; all the mask is missing is a N-95 insert.
“The 3-D printed body can be reused daily as long as they’re sterilized, and the filters can be changed out as necessary” Watson said in a statement, “offering protection for weeks instead of hours.
Built director of business development Melissa Vu Keene told CL that around 30 masks—which have shipped across Florida, to New York, California and Kentucky—have been printed so far, and that Built is bringing in two more printers to double production.
“Rolls of decent PLA are around $36 and can be purchased on Amazon. People can buy rolls and send them to us or donate money towards filament,” she added. “Right now we’re printing the masks for free. If people donate filament we’ll keep printing!”
Across the Bay, St. Petersburg College (SPC) Humanities and Fine Arts Chair Jonathan Barnes is using 3D printing technology to create face shields for healthcare workers concerned about the inevitable shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the face of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The virus is believed to be more contagious than the flu.
A release from SPC said Barnes started using his personal 3D printer to create the face shields when he learned a friend was looking for face protection for his job as an emergency room physician in Ocala.
“Barnes soon realized he needed backup to increase production,” the college wrote. So SPC let him take two printers home, and now he can make six shields every four hours. So far, Barnes has donated more than 30 shields to doctors in Clearwater, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Ocala and Sarasota. He even sent some all the way to Baltimore.
“It seems like the right thing to do,” Barnes said. “Those people are the front line heroes going into battle without proper equipment.”
Both Watson and Barnes have provided links to the open source design they’re using, and another local hero, Nga Pham, has already donated 12,000 medical grade masks to local hospitals. Pham, who owns Premier Nail Bar located at 13875 W. Hillsborough Ave. in between Westchase and Oldsmar, remembers her family’s struggles when they arrived in the U.S. from Vietnam in May of 1997 in search of a better life, more opportunity, and freedom.
“The government helped us by giving us food and a place to live. We were always grateful for what the citizens of the U.S. have done for our family. And not just my family, but for many other immigrant families as well,” Pham told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “America is such a great country where the citizens go above and beyond to help others because of their love for their country. That’s why I am forever grateful and want to always express my gratitude to America. We’re in this together.”
Together with her friends and family—especially her Premier Nail co-workers Vanessa Le and Julie Nguyen who drive to and from hospitals, assisted living facilities and urgent care centers—Pham is connecting with local health workers and getting the word out about her trying to do her part.
“I couldn’t have done it without their helping hands,” Pham said as she also expressed gratitude for the doctors, first responders and healthcare workers risking their lives to help others. Her masks are obviously limited, but she’s encouraged facilities in need to message the nail salon through Facebook.
“Giving and helping others is all part of my Vietnamese culture. I was taught by my biological parents and my in-laws that we need to do whatever we can to help others and the community,” Pham said. “We just want to let people know that the Vietnamese community is here to support.”
“I teach my kids all the time that sharing is caring. That’s why we want to give back something to help America,” she added. “That’s the very least we can do for everyone now and we are very happy and honored that we can help.”
Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.
Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter to get the most up-to-date news + views. Subscribe to our newsletter, too.
This article appears in Apr 2-9, 2020.
