a doctor's call for HELP - N95 masks

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Reaching out to the Fiddleback Family for help. Many of you know that I too, have Fiddleback Fever like many of you and its a crazy, unshakable disease. Fiddleback, Cohutta, Surls, OKT and I think the whole fam has got my number more than a few times. But I am also a doctor in my community and our clinic is desperate for N95 masks for emergent or urgent office visits, procedures, surgeries, and other medical care--so I am asking for your help.

I AM NOT ASKING FOR DONATIONS. I will be happy to buy them.

Most of my days are spent treating disease and managing operative care with older patients. I know some of you dabble in woodwork or knife making, or are hobbyists or even work in industry where masks may be available. If you have any, even if just 1 or 2--any help will be greatly appreciated. These n95 masks will definitely save lives. Most of us in clinics and hospitals will be fine even if we get sick. But what is to come in our country is that some of our older patients and even younger patients with underlying conditions will die because medical care is insufficient as medical providers are taken out of the battle due to being contagious themselves because we are so short on masks. And sadly, if doctors or medical staff become contagious, they may actually spread the virus to patients before they even realize or have symptoms, again..greatly in part to not having appropriate masks in the first place.

If you have masks and for some reason, you do not feel comfortable sending masks to me, then please take them to your local providers. I assure you that they will be grateful. And I'm sure they will buy them. Please consider it and I am so appreciate of your help. If you want to help us, send me a PM and thank you.

I want to add one more thing-- and that is that I have many times seen people step up and I have been so impressed with this family and community of knife makers and collectors and enthusiasts and bush crafters, etc. I have never been burned in all of my knife dealings and have had many transactions and relationships with people that I only wish I could know in person. I have a busy life but I hope to have time to meet more of you someday. When I mentioned to my colleagues that I was going to reach out on the Fiddleback knife forum for help, they looked at me like I was crazy. I think they imagine a bunch of crazy peppers who don't care. On the contrary, this whole Bladeforum group has some of the most stand-up people that I can imagine to be associated with. These are the people that I want to be in the trenches with and who know and appreciate what our country is supposed to stand for. I want you to be healthy and keep your family safe too. Don't give them all away, save some for you and your family. But again, if you have or know of where you can scramble up extra masks, please do and even if you don't send them my way, please help out your medical community and make a difference. This older generation has paid an amazing and terrible price for our freedom and we owe them.

Thanks for hearing me out and letting me use this forum in this way (I apologize if this comes off wrong to anyone in any way)...and God Bless you and your families and keep you safe.
-wade

*If you would like to look me up, please send a PM and I can give reference to my clinic website, etc.
 
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This crazy pepper is sending you some N95 masks tomorrow. Be safe, brother.

My wife is on the front lines in the healthcare industry as well....feeling your pain.

Hey Jason,
How are you my brother? You are the best--Thank you so much! Please stay safe and prayers for your wife and her team!
...and let's touch base soon--its been too long.:thumbsup:
 
Dr. God Bless you and your staff.

I wish so much I could help but I took all I had to the Philippines Jan 20 for family there due to ash fall from Taal. I am betting you will get much response like the generous offer from jaz322. Take care and know our hearts are with you.

Bill
 
Great article from Wired magazine from this weekend with a specific question on N95 masks. Not sure if I'm allowed to post links but here is the title so one can google it.

The Doctor Who Helped Defeat Smallpox Explains What's Coming
Epidemiologist Larry Brilliant, who warned of pandemic in 2006, says we can beat the novel coronavirus—but first, we need lots more testing.
 
I gave all of the N95 masks I had to my wife's practice a couple weeks ago for their nurses, otherwise I would send them all your way. Hopefully the supply chain catches up soon. Otherwise, I'm about to start using some redneck engineering and make some out of various papers and filters I have available around my lab and home. I'm not sure on the micron size, but it seems like some of the paper HEPA filters, chem, and/or millipore filters in layers could be at least mildly effective if it didn't restrict breathing too much. Maybe figure out some kind of oil catch mechanism like K&N filters with a food-safe oil instead. I gots crazy ideas, and that's all without duct tape even.

If you see a rush on vacuum cleaner filters, I found a market for the masks and they were needed :thumbsup:

Note: just found that N95 masks are designed to catch 95% of particles 0.3 micron size or greater (better as you go larger of course). HEPA filters are designed to catch 99.97% of 0.3 micron, maybe I'm not that crazy... This is per google fu.
 
Fiddleback folks coming together.
Best forum and group of people out there. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Hopefully everyone takes this seriously and can give extra masks up. We use re-usable masks here of course. Thanks so much for everything you're doing on the front lines MTBmonkey MTBmonkey YOU ROCK!!

Thanks Andy! And I agree Phillip--you got that right! I have been around long enough to see this crew in action and proud to have been a part of some of it. People who don't have hope about the people in this country ought to take a cruise through this forum for starters and rethink it.
 
WE ARE STILL IN DESPERATE NEED. I have made close to 100 calls to all of our industrial suppliers, and every distributor... and although the news media is reporting plans of ramped up production, we still are not able to get our hands on them yet and being told it may be several weeks or even months. These n95 masks are being reserved for the big hospitals and large clinics. Mid-sized clinics and smaller rural community clinics are having a very difficult time. Also, many distributors and retailers don't have specific medical departments to prioritize orders so the industrial and general consumer demand is still competing with clinics for these. We understand the need for everyone to want and need these. The problem is that our providers, nurses and staff on the front lines are without and either reusing disposable contaminated masks, or often just doing without. Any help is appreciated and please pass this along if you think someone may be able to help locate new n95 masks.

Again, please PM me for more info and if you can help. Be safe and much, much appreciated!!!
 
WE ARE STILL IN DESPERATE NEED. I have made close to 100 calls to all of our industrial suppliers, and every distributor... and although the news media is reporting plans of ramped up production, we still are not able to get our hands on them yet and being told it may be several weeks or even months. These n95 masks are being reserved for the big hospitals and large clinics. Mid-sized clinics and smaller rural community clinics are having a very difficult time. Also, many distributors and retailers don't have specific medical departments to prioritize orders so the industrial and general consumer demand is still competing with clinics for these. We understand the need for everyone to want and need these. The problem is that our providers, nurses and staff on the front lines are without and either reusing disposable contaminated masks, or often just doing without. Any help is appreciated and please pass this along if you think someone may be able to help locate new n95 masks.

Again, please PM me for more info and if you can help. Be safe and much, much appreciated!!!

I have contacted my sales rep from 3M to see what they can offer. If he is able to find anything as they start filling in the supply for hospitals, I'll be sure to let you know as well.

Something that a few people in Ann Arbor, MI are doing is going with re-useable cloth masks that can be washed and rotated out. Better than nothing. My wife's practice is using them temporarily until some better comes in stock.
 
I love stuff like this. Its awesome!!!!!!! A problem for many hospitals and clinics is that those will go to assigned hospitals and the trickle down won't likely get to clinics like ours for quite a while. None the less, it is progress and saving lives so good on them and thanks for sharing!
Be safe,
-wade

Trust me I understand. I'm a volunteer first responder so I'm even lower on the trickle list.
 
@RobbieB Thanks brother for sending a few this way. You and jaz322 jaz322 are definitely helping to keep medical staff available and honestly you are preventing suffering and saving lives by helping to prevent the spread of this thing! It is a big deal, and here's why:

Anyone that unknowingly becomes infected will almost certainly be a link in the chain that leads to someone's suffering or death...its just an unfortunate fact. This is mainly because you are contagious well before you even have symptoms (and well afterwards also), so it is very easy to pass it along and not even know it.

Our average patient is over 65yo. We are only seeing emergencies right now, but we deal with a lot of emergencies that also have heart or respiratory conditions or other risk factors for COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality. This virus is already forcing us to rethink the boundaries of what is truly an "emergency" given the risks, age, health, etc and it could really tie our hands in being able to help people the worse it gets.

Again you all, many thanks!!! All be safe.

We are still asking to buy both n95 masks and even surgical masks. Please PM me if you have or need info.
-wade
 
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