1-mask-at-a-time for US medics
Help donate one mask to an American medic on the frontlines today.
To submit a mask request, please use our Google form .
Headlines like "It Feels Like a War Zone’: Doctors and Nurses Plead for Masks on Social Media" and "We are at war with no ammo " while hearing personal stories from our own family and friends on the frontlines paint a dire picture of the severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the risks these medical warriors are facing each day.
Video of emergency room in NY hospital - March 25, 2020
An update on the situation at a U.S. hospital provided by our physician friend:
“Providers are only given N95 masks when performing complicated aerosolized procedures, such as inserting a breathing tube into a COVID19 positive patient. If the mask is not visibly dirty with fluid or blood, the provider is being asked to save the mask for another use on another patient.”
Message from a healthcare worker:
"I am an OB/GYN working at a public hospital located in the San Francisco Bay area. I have many friends who are Anesthesiologists and ER doctors in Santa Clara County, the epicenter in California. Unfortunately, we are running out of Personal Protective Equipment, such as N95 masks, face shields and even surgical masks. All the hospitals in the area are asking for donations of these masks and face shields from the community. Sadly, if our healthcare providers get sick with COVID-19, they cannot work; this means that they cannot take care of our community members that may desperately need life-saving treatment."
Names will be withheld and kept anonymous to protect their identity.
Furthermore, the CDC has loosened their regulations to allow medical workers exposed to this deadly virus to continue working as long as they wear a mask; if they do not have access to a mask, they may use a bandana or scarf as an alternative. This is unacceptable. Our medical workers need to be properly protected NOW, not just for their own well-being but also the health of their families and patients.
We must act quickly to bridge this gap until production from private companies and the government comes through to fill this need. The need is immediate, we cannot wait.
Who are we?
Sonia and Louise are "just" two stay-at-home moms from Houston and New York who are trying to do what we can to protect our friends on the frontlines during our toddlers’ nap times.
Sally has been helping with logistics and administration. She was a leader in a grassroots movement that over the last 2 months coordinated supplies to the locked down city of Wuhan, reaching 46 hospitals and donating half a million PPE items. Her experience with verifying quality, fair cost, and vendors has been invaluable.
Wai Ming, who is currently based in Switzerland, will manage all site updates and mask requests.
For more information on who we are, please free to access our founders' LinkedIn:
http://linkedin.com/in/soniahsia
http://linkedin.com/in/louise-siu
For financial transparency, Sonia will be making withdrawals into her personal bank account and working with Louise to transfer the money directly to their suppliers. Please see the below FAQ section for our plans to deliver the masks to the medics.
Our goals:
*1. Rapidly meet urgent needs - The short-term need is our focus. We are going P2P (Person to Person) vs directly through a hospital to avoid bureaucracy delays. We hope to soon help hospitals and providers connect, while stepping out of the middleman role, as their funding gets approved to order on a larger scale.
*2. Small yet personal - We are delivering masks directly into medical workers' hands to help them get through their day protected.
*3. Ensure quality standards are met - We know that subpar quality masks could cost lives. Therefore, we are verifying their certificates and ensuring they meet hospital standards.
While we wait for the government to deliver PPE kits to hospitals, we encourage like-minded people to help donate to fill the gap, first at the epicenter New York City, where it is most needed and also to medics we know personally elsewhere in critical need. Please note that 100% of funds received go towards these masks and all associated processing fees.
Join us NOW to change the dire situation of our frontline doctors and their patients!
For just $0.85 (March 27 Update: the cost was only $0.65 for our second shipment because thanks to your generosity we were able to purchase a larger quantity!) including shipment, we can deliver one surgical mask to a medic who is exposed to COVID-19 patients.
For just $2.80 including shipment and customs, we can secure an N95 mask for a frontline worker. (March 27 Update: Unfortunately, the cost per N95 is now $3.7 and may continue to rise due to extremely high demand)
Donate one mask, donate many masks - anything helps.
Instructions: At the payment, please do not select a “team member.” Should you want to donate a larger amount and need more information, please contact us.
Also note that as soon as we have enough funds for 5,000 pieces, we will order the next shipment right away.
What we have done since we began fundraising:
1) Delivered 100 N95 masks and 100 surgical masks to a close friend working at a NYC hospital
2) Delivered 200 surgical masks to an ICU nurse in the Bay Area (friend’s friend)
3) Delivered 200 surgical masks to a friend and doctor in New York Chinatown for distribution
4) Delivered N95 1860 specialized masks to a California medical center
5) Ordered 5,000 surgical masks to be personally delivered on Saturday (3/28) to: a Long Island ICU nurse, a personal contacts working in a NYC hospital ER, a hospital in Queens and Brooklyn, as well as a central NJ hospital
6) Ordered 10,000 surgical masks to be delivered to a Long Island hospital and two Manhattan-based hospitals
FAQs:
1. How come hospitals do not have enough masks and why can't they buy them themselves?
Hospitals did not anticipate the surge in the number of masks required, and once the demand finally did increase, their normal distributors of masks found their supply chain severely disrupted. It is not easy for hospitals to quickly find new suppliers or approval of funds due to bureaucracy. Hopefully soon, supply and distribution will ramp back up, but there is a large gap currently that we are trying to do what we can to fill.
2. How do you know the sources are legitimate?
We have a personal connection, who is a VP at an international exporting company, who has been chartering flights to send PPE to Italy and signing contracts with local governments in the US to deliver millions of units. We can vouch for his character and experience. The factories have all been visited by the company and have gone through certification and testing. However, in his words, "it has been very slooow" to finalize these contracts. His company has personally visited the factories to ensure the quality (certification and testings) of the masks.
3. How long between payment to delivery?
1) Surgical masks (3-ply, EN149 Certified; BFE 99% to 99.7%): 4-5 days
2) N95 masks (certified): 8-10 days
While N95 masks are important for the ICU/ER, surgical masks are equally important for protection in other settings. Our surgical masks are ASTM level 2 equivalent masks (American Society for Testing and Materials Level 2 masks are moderate barrier masks, ideal for procedures where moderate to light amounts of fluid, spray and/or aerosols are produced). - https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/keeping-the-coronavirus-from-infecting-health-care-workers
4. Where are you purchasing these masks from?
Some are made in factories in the USA, supporting our own economy and its workers. They can be shipped immediately and would take 4-5 days from payment to delivery. Other shipments of surgical masks are coming from China.
N95 masks, however, will be exported from China, as there are no N95 masks being produced in such small quantities to meet the gap in the US that we (or the export company) are aware of. Fortunately, private companies are now starting to meet this need (e.g. Ford Motors), but it will take time for things to ramp up. The export company is charging us at a very low cost as we are not their typical clients, and they are aware this is on a purely volunteer basis.
5. I have found cheaper sources, shall I contact you?
If you know of good N95 mask sources specifically in the US with reasonable prices, please let us know so we can further lower the cost for shipment and customs. If not, then it is not necessary. We have done our due diligence and can confirm our sources to be both reliable and verifiable. While there may be cheaper alternatives, we are confident with the quality control and ability to import them into the country right away with the appropriate import licensing and customs procedures.
6. How many masks do hospitals need in a day?
It varies based on the size of hospital. If they are the hospital primarily taking care of COVID-19 patients, the number can be as high as 40,000 a day. In a normal situation, a medic would discard their mask in the isolation room; given the severe shortage however, they have been asked to store their masks in paper or ziplock bags to reuse for their following shift or indefinitely.
7. When do we expect PPE to arrive at the hospitals from both the public and private sector?
This is difficult to ascertain as delivery times stated in the media are constantly evolving. Once we know our friends are adequately equipped, we will stop our campaign and efforts.
8. How do you determine who will receive the masks you purchased?
Great question. We have been operating primarily on word-of-mouth from our families, friends, and friends-of-friends that are working on the frontlines. Our primary focus currently is New York City, the epicenter of the virus here in the States, where the need is absolutely critical. That being said, people from other impacted areas have reached out to us and we do our best to provide for them too.
9. I am the owner/medic of a nursing home/clinic/hospital but I am not from an epicenter. Can I raise my own funds?
Absolutely! The goal is to get these to the people who need them asap. If your organization can pay or fundraise for these anywhere in the nation, by all means get in touch!
10. Can I get a tax receipt for my donation?
No, unfortunately as we are not a 501c(3).
11. Can I donate with a credit card not issued in the U.S.?
Mostly yes as we have had friends donate from Hong Kong without issue. That being said, we have also had a very small handful of donors who had payment issues. If you are experiencing difficulty with payment, please reach out to us so we can find alternate methods (i.e. Venmo, PayPal). Our earliest donors, before this GoFundMe page was set up, sent money primarily through Venmo (@Louise-Siu).
12. Where can I learn more about medical masks?
Click here for useful information on mask and respirator differences and grades.
13. How do I place a request for masks?
We originally created a Google form, which we have since deactivated after being flooded with over 30+ requests in less than one week. Please look at our updates for further information. 
For additional information and general updates: www.findthemasks.com
Please check back often as we will continually update this page.