During the coronavirus (COVID-19) health emergency, personal protective equipment (PPE) is in critical supply. Face masks, a needed type of PPE, help protect our health care providers and other non-clinical health care workers from droplets that may be expelled by a cough or sneeze as they interact with people seeking care.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is seeking the community’s help to sew face masks for LVHN.

Those who have a sewing machine and sewing skills are invited to make fabric face masks for our team. Each person can use and reuse the same mask after laundering it. This helps us preserve our supply of professionally manufactured PPE. If you would like to sew face masks for LVHN, look for face mask sewing patterns and instructions on the web or use instructions (and watch video tutorials) at LVHN.org/facemask.

Materials you will need to sew a face mask:

Use tightly-woven, breathable cotton fabric (preferred) or another tightly-woven, breathable fabric blend, in any color or pattern. You also will need elastic banding that’s used for sewing.

Important: To ensure the health and safety of our employees, only healthy individuals with no one in their household experiencing symptoms should consider donating fabric and masks. Masks donated to LVHN will be laundered prior to use by LVHN colleagues.

Where to bring completed face masks:

Bring completed face masks (in a clearly marked bag, box or container), to 2024 Lehigh St., Allentown, Pa., Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. More locations are coming soon.

Community is invited to donate materials that can be used to make face masks

Those who don’t sew, or don’t have a sewing machine, can still help by donating any of the following materials that can be used to make face masks. LVHN will get these materials to people who can sew to make more face masks. Needed materials include:

• Fabric bolts – Tightly-woven, breathable cotton fabric (preferred), or fabric blend, also tightly-woven and breathable, in any color or pattern, can be donated to help us create face masks.

• Cut pieces of fabric – Tightly-woven, breathable cotton fabric (preferred), or fabric blend, also tightly-woven and breathable, cut to 6-inches by 10-inches.

• Swatches of fabric – If you have swatches of tightly-woven, breathable cotton fabric (preferred), or fabric blend, also tightly-woven and breathable fabric, we can use that as well.

• Elastic used for sewing

Where to bring items that can be used to make masks

Should you be able to donate any of the above materials, please clearly label the items and bring your fabric or elastic to 2024 Lehigh St., Allentown, Pa., Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Community is invited to donate new, unused PPE

LVHN also will gladly accept new, unused PPE, such as:

• N95 respirators

• Dust masks

• Eye protection

• Goggles

• Face shields

• Boxes of nitrile gloves

• Hand sanitizer

Where to bring PPE donations

To donate PPE, clearly mark contents and bring the items to: 2024 Lehigh St., Allentown, Pa., Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

If you have any questions about donations, email covid19donations@lvhn.org.

To stay up to date with information about COVID-19, visit LVHN.org/COVID19.