THE PROBLEM: As the number of Covid-19 cases grew, many hospitals had more patients than they could handle. Some ran out of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves, and face shields. Health-care workers need this gear to stay safe, because the virus causing Covid-19 can spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
HOW I HELPED: My neighbor who’s a nurse let us know that the hospital where she works was running low on PPE. I realized we could use my 3-D printer to make face shields. At first, each one took three hours to print. But my dad and I tweaked the settings on the printer so we could make a shield every hour. A local teachers organization asked us for help before school starts, so I’m making more face shields, as well as comfortable headbands to hold them in place.
MY TIP: Be determined and don’t give up. In the end, you could help a lot of people.