Helping our partners mask up

Aug 19

154,000. That’s how many masks it takes to fill up a standard two-car garage in America. Want to know how we know that? Because, that’s how many masks NCACH were given to distribute to community partners across North Central Washington!154,000 masks. That's how many it takes to fill up half of a standard two-car garage in America. NCACH Staffers, Mariah Brown (L) and Teresa Davis (R) work to sort through masks so that they can be prepped and delivered to community partners. (Photo - Teresa Davis)Earlier this month, NCACH, along with the eight other Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs), received a request from the State to help distribute masks to local partners and community members. The masks, a surplus shipment from the United States military, arrived on semi-trucks, pallets, and in droves. We received six pallets of N95 and cloth reusable masks, literally on a staffer’s doorstep, but some of our fellow ACHs received multiple semi-trucks full!Masks provided by NCACH were handed out during Okanogan County's recent drive-through COVID-19 testing events, hosted by Okanogan Public Health. (Photo - Christal Eshelman)Working closely with our partners and local health jurisdictions, masks were divvied up and distributed to community partners, including nursing homes, community centers, COVID testing sites, public health, food banks, and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.COVID-19 drive-through testing in Okanogan County, hosted in August by Okanogan Public Health. (Photo - Christal Eshelman)“While it’s nice to get my garage back, it’s even better knowing that we helped distribute these masks to partners who will help get them out into the community,” says NCACH staffer, Teresa Davis. Teresa has been working behind the scenes to help deliver handmade masks to local county emergency management centers since March, and also led the distribution efforts for these masks.NCACH is pleased to be able to support our partners and communities masking up and helping to stop the spread of COVID-19. To learn more about NCACH’s COVID-19 response efforts, please visit: https://ncach.org/covid