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Masks For America: Protect our Frontline Heroes

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THE PROBLEM WE'RE FACING

Doctors, nurses, and other frontline medical workers across the U.S. and Puerto Rico are being forced to ration N95 masks  or turn to inadequate bandanas, paper, and cloth masks — leaving them vulnerable to infection as they interact with COVID-19 patients. There are already reports of health care workers getting sick and dying as a result of a lack of proper protective gear.


HOW WE'RE WORKING TO SOLVE IT

There’s no time to waste. We have found and partnered with an FDA-certified manufacturer selling N95 equivalent masks at only $2/mask — a fraction  of what hospitals and governments have been paying for N95 masks.

Every dollar donated goes directly to mailing masks to health care facilities who request them through https://getusppe.org/request, and every person involved (even the broker) is volunteering their time. For only $2, you can provide a safe mask to a frontline health care worker!

Donations are tax-deductible.

See FAQs below for more information.


THE TEAM

Dr. Sanjeev Sriram (@DrSriram) is the Senior Advisor at Social Security Works, a grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and expanding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. He leads the All Means All campaign to make racial equity a cornerstone of Medicare For All. Dr. Sriram is also known as “Dr. America,” a Health Justice Correspondent for We Act Radio, where he writes op-eds and makes innovative media to draw connections between health policy, inequity, and social determinants of health. Dr. Sriram completed his medical degree and his pediatrics residency at UCLA, where he served as Chief Resident at the Department of Pediatrics. In June 2009, he earned his Masters in Public Health after completing the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health. He practices general pediatrics in southeast Washington, DC and is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine.

Bob Bland (@bobblanddesign) is a designer, entrepreneur, international speaker and advocate with 15 years experience in the fashion + manufacturing industries.   She is also a women’s rights activist and one of the Co-Founders and National Co-Chairs of the Women's March on Washington. On January 21st, 2017, over 5 million people marched worldwide in a historic, unapologetically women-led demonstration- the largest single day protest in United States history. 

Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez (@LaBorinquena_GN, @MrEdgardoNYC) is a graphic novelist most notably recognized as the writer and creator of the critically acclaimed and bestselling superhero series La Borinqueña . In addition, he is the recipient of the San Diego Comic-Con 2019 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic efforts via the benefit anthology Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico featuring La Borinqueña teaming up with Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and other DC Comics heroes. He self-published this anthology under his own studio Somos Arte and to date Edgardo has raised close to a quarter of a million dollars for grassroots organizations in Puerto Rico via the La Borinqueña Grants Program. As the Creative Director and owner of Somos Arte, a Brooklyn-based creative services studio he has worked with such notable clients as Atlantic Records, Columbia University, Sony Pictures and Marvel. In addition, Edgardo is a curator of art exhibitions having already produced three original Marvel comic book art exhibitions and his very own La Borinqueña for the Smithsonian Museum.

Kristin Mink (@kristinminkDC) is an activist, organizer, and teacher, known by some as the mom who confronted former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt in a restaurant. She’s a co-founder of Lights For Liberty, a nationwide immigration protest, and an outspoken advocate for climate, immigration rights, and social justice.

Saira Rao (@sairasameerarao) grew up in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Indian immigrants. For forty years, she wasted her precious time aspiring to be white and accepted by dominant white society, a futile task for anyone not born with white skin. Several years ago, Saira began the painful process of dismantling her own internalized oppression. Saira is a lawyer-by-training, a former congressional candidate, a published novelist and an entrepreneur. She is a co-founder of Race2Dinner  and Haven Media


PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

National Nurses United (@NationalNurses)

American Medical Student Association (@AMSANational)

Doctors For America (@DrsForAmerica)

New York State Nurses Association (@NYNurses)

#GetUsPPEDC  (@getusppe)

Social Security Works (@SSWorks)

Be A Hero (@BeAHeroTeam)

Leaf Logistics (@leaflogistics)

Action Now- Chicago (@ActionNowChi)

United Cajun Navy- New Orleans (@UNITEDCAJUNNAVY)


ADVISORS

Dr. Catherine Alicia Georges
, National Volunteer President of AARP, professor & chair of Dept. of Nursing at Lehman College, lifetime member of National Black Nurses Association

Isaiah
 Cochran (@amsapres), President of the American Medical Student Association

Justin Lowenthal (@jilowenthal), National Board of Directors, Doctors for America

Corey Lanham (@NNUCorey), Mid Atlantic Collective Bargaining Director for National Nurses United / National Nurses Organizing Committee

Jeremy Markman (@JeremyMarkman), Manager of the Executive Office & Assistant to the Executive Director of New York State Nurses Association

MarkAlain Dery (@DrDery), infectious diseases physician in New Orleans, founder of 102.3FM WHIV-LP human rights & social justice radio

Ady Barkan (@AdyBarkan), co-founder of Be A Hero PAC, Medicare-For-All advocate living with ALS

Nylah Burton (@yumcoconutmilk), writer on health, race, & climate

Charlotte Clymer (@cmclymer), Press Secretary, Rapid Response at Human Rights Campaign

Mary Annaïse Heglar (@MaryHeglar), writer, co-host of @RealHotTake

Shauna Sweeney
  (@shaunasweeney  on Instagram), Head of Global Industry Marketing at Facebook

Shireen Mitchell (@digitalsista, @stopovaw), Founder, Digital Sisters/as & Stop Online Violence Against Women

Anshu Prasad, CEO of Leaf Logistics; building and leading businesses and teams working in logistics, technology, and analytics across the U.S., Europe, and Asia 

Kymm McCabe (@KymmMccabe), philanthropist & social justice activist


OUR FISCAL SPONSOR
 
This entirely volunteer effort is fiscally sponsored by  Social Security Works Education Fund (EIN: 46-1500551), and we are planning to distribute based on demand from 1700+ locations as part of the GetUsPPE.org coalition and other amazing medical professionals who have been sharing the needs of their facilities with us directly.


FAQs

1) I am a member of a state or local government or a medical professional or administrator at a health, rescue or safety facility that can afford to order our own.

Can we do that? 

Yes! If you can afford to order your own, please do. Use this form to contact us and we will send you all the info on how to order. Keep in mind, the masks can only be shipped to medical facilities or government entities (otherwise they will be stopped at Customs). This is to prevent hoarding and reselling. Form: bit.ly/KN95OrderingInfo 


2) I am a medical professional or administrator at a health, rescue or safety facility.

How do I sign up to receive donations?


Fill out the donation request form here at https://masks4america.org and one of our volunteers will be in touch!

3) I, or my facility, only need a few masks or other PPE. 

If you are a small facility or individual healthcare frontliner who needs a small number of masks, we recommend you use Mask Crusader, which pairs PPE donors with recipients: https://maskcrusaders.org


4) What are KN95 masks, and is it okay to use them as a substitute for N95s?

The CDC lists the KN95 as a recommended substitute when N95 respirator masks are unavailable, as seen here . The FDA also approved KN95 masks  for use in April 2020. 

N95 respirator masks are the CDC's default recommended protective facewear for health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients. KN95 respirator masks, used by surgeons and other medical professionals across Asia, are functionally equivalent to N95s. KN95s are basically Asia’s version of the N95. For a more detailed comparison, see KN95 & N95 Performance .

While bandanas and fabric masks are better than nothing, frontline health care workers interacting with sick patients need and deserve medical grade PPE masks. We are facing shortages and severe price-gouging in efforts to purchase N95 masks, and KN95s are a much better alternative than bandanas, fabric masks, or reusing N95s.


5) How are these masks so cheap?

The market price for KN95s is lower than N95s. There is currently a shortage of N95s , and during this time, many retailers and brokers are price-gouging. Our manufacturer is keeping their prices low and our broker has agreed to waive their cut entirely for masks bought through this effort. As they told us, if everyone else is donating + volunteering, they will too!


6) Are you sure this is a legit manufacturer?

Yes! Bob Bland has over 15 years of experience in sourcing and manufacturing, which is why she turned her attention to this method of addressing the mask shortage. She found and thoroughly vetted the manufacturer, which is FDA-certified.


7) Who decides where the masks go?

Our medical advisors, in consultation with other medical professionals who share the needs of their facilities with us directly, and members of government & hospital systems.
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Equipo de recaudación de fondos: Masks For America (6)

Masks For America
Organizador
Brooklyn, NY
Social Security Works
Beneficiario
Bob Bland
Team member
Saira Rao
Team member
Sanjeev Sriram
Team member
Michael Phelan
Team member

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