In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tricia Comtois has been ahead of the curve.
Comtois opened Polka Dot Pandas with her mother in 2007. Since then, the boutique has become a staple for children’s clothing, handmade gifts and accessories, and on-site alterations.
But when the public health crisis began to take root in the United States, Comtois opted to temporarily close her business a few days before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued the order that would have closed it anyhow. Reading about the unfolding crisis online, Comtois learned about the looming medical supply shortage. So she did something about it.
In a Facebook post, Comtois announced her desire to make washable masks that would fit over the coveted N95 masks so critical to protecting health care workers.
That original post would garner more than 150,000 views in two days.
“The intent is to provide the masks to local hospital professionals, to act as a barrier and prolong the life of the N95 masks,” Comtois says.
“It’s just two layers of cotton and they can be washed and reused.”
Comtois and her team of five volunteers can churn out 80 medical masks in about four hours. To date, they’ve given out more than 2,000 such masks since they first started making them on Friday, March 20.
They work in an assembly line, with each person having their own task, which includes cutting, pinning, sewing, and pressing.
It costs about $1.50 in materials per mask, Comtois figures, all of which has been donated by herself and others.
“We have used a big bulk of our materials stash. We’ve depleted it quite a bit,” she says. “And we’ve received donated fabrics, too.”
Comtois first reached out to McLaren Port Huron to offer the masks, starting with the emergency response team. They’ve since worked with other departments. Now others have been reaching out to them, including local doctor’s offices, pharmacies, and nursing homes. They’ve given masks to the St. Clair Fire Department and the Port Huron and Marysville police departments.
“We have been incredibly overwhelmed by the support and generosity of our community during this health care crisis. It truly takes a village to prevent the spread of this highly contagious virus, and the Blue Water community delivered,” says Ginger Petrat, MBA director for marketing communications at McLaren Port Huron.
“We appreciate the countless donations that have helped protect our physicians and nurses so they can care for patients with coronavirus.”
Individuals, too, have expressed interest in her masks. When she made the initial post on Facebook, Comtois says that she was receiving inquiries from people as far away as Alaska.
It seems such a simple fix to an increasingly worrisome problem — just a couple strips of cotton and elastic and a determined group of volunteers. Comtois hopes that her lead will provide an example, encouraging other communities to do the same.
“For me, it’s rewarding to know that we’re helping. It’s heart-warming to know that the community has stepped up,” she says.
It’s also a welcome distraction, she adds. “It’s an outlet to concentrate on something else other than the news.
“For now, as long as there’s a need and a means to do it, we will.”
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