Scout Service Under Shelter in Place Conditions?

[qwazse]

16+ year-olds may donate blood.  This is really important, because this demographic has not traveled abroad, and fewer of them will have disqualifications.

But, blood drives would necessarily take longer to keep donors isolated.

Coordinating a campaign with your local blood bank to do this safely could be a challenging, yet rewarding, service project.

[clemlaw]

I posted above about making masks for hospitals.  For those of us (like me) who don't know how to use a sewing machine, I noticed that one local group was asking for volunteers to help by doing the prep work, such as cutting the fabric.  

Also, if you have any elastic or fabric left over from your Cub Scout craft projects, they can probably use it.  My wife's Girl Scout group is in kind of a holding pattern as they wait to get the elastic that someone ordered.

So if any Scouts are looking for a service opportunity, I would encourage them to check the websites of local hospitals and see if they are soliciting masks.  Even if they can't sew, they could reach out (on Facebook, NextDoor, etc.) to see if those groups need any help.  

[5yearscouter]

how bout call your local church and see if the pastor needs help calling elderly shut ins? Just to check on them, say hi,

ask if they need anything. make a list and give back to the pastor so they can follow up.

yeah you probably need to already have a relationship in your church.

You could probably go around and wash cars sitting in driveways, or sweep front porches.

with the owners permission of course. You'd have to figure out how to ask who needs this service, without getting face to face

Make your own mini food bank with any extra food you can gather, and put it out by your mailbox with a sign. advertise on your neighborhood facebook or next door.  Although a lady in my neighborhood did that and someone took everything.

 

[mashmaster]

My sister called me today begging for facemasks.  She works in a hospital and they are almost out.  So we are making some and sending them to her.

[MattR]

My wife is making masks. I found plans and ordered some N95 equivalent fabric. We'll see how the filter fabric works.

One thing that seemed good to me was a vimeo video from a doctor in NYC (below). I have been sent this link from 2 different people. A couple of important points: if you're not in a hospital then the most important thing a mask will do is keep your hands off your face. The primary mechanism of transfer is people touching a contaminated surface and then touching their face. That's it. Wash/disinfect your hands. Keep your hands away from your face. If you're in a hospital with lots of infected people around or especially intubating people that's a very different story.

Anyway, being cheerful and helpful is probably one of the best services a scout could do right now. Figure out how to play checkers via zoom with people locked in and hunkered down. Does anyone know of online card games that can be played remotely and then share a zoom connection to see the other people?
 

Quote

 

I know we're all in COVID-19 news overload right now, but this is the most practical, down-to-earth discussion about protecting ourselves and families I've heard.  It's from an ICU doctor in one of NYC's major hospitals.  It's long (60 minutes), but I found it worth setting aside the time to watch it in two chunks: the first half is his general thoughts and advice; the second half are questions from the audience, who were family members of healthcare providers.

Dr. David Price of Weill Cornell Medical Center, March 22, 2020:

https://vimeo.com/399733860

 

 

[scoutldr]

THe "experts" are saying that the general public with no symptoms do not need to be wearing masks, yet I am seeing more and more around town.  MOST I see are not being worn properly...people with facial hair, bottom strap hanging loose, nose not covered, removing mask to eat or drink with contaminated hands.  If you are not wearing it correctly, the mask is being WASTED.  Saw a dude come out of the grocery store the other day wearing gloves while pushing his cart.  During the course of loading up his car, he touched his face and rubbed his nose 3 times, then unwrapped a hot dog and ate it with his gloves still on.  People are better off staying home, than going out with a false sense of security.

Edited March 30, 2020 by scoutldr

[qwazse]

Daughter and I saw a guy with a prodigious beard wearing a coffee filter.

At least an N95 isn't going to waste.

[TAHAWK]

WHO

• If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.
• Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
• Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
• If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.

 

[HashTagScouts]

Disposal is beginning to become an issue in my area.  Local news and newspapers are ripe with reporting on people leaving used gloves and masks in shopping carts, or discarding in parking lots.  

[mashmaster]

33 minutes ago, HashTagScouts said:

Disposal is beginning to become an issue in my area.  Local news and newspapers are ripe with reporting on people leaving used gloves and masks in shopping carts, or discarding in parking lots.  

I hate people

[TAHAWK]

But you be "people."  😁

[T2Eagle]

3 hours ago, TAHAWK said:

WHO

• If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.
• Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
• Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
• If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.

 

Our hospital system in Ohio has gone to universal masking recommendations for everyone in the building in the hospitals: visitors, non clinical workers, everyone.  Wearing a mask provides some protection from larger droplets that other people are spewing, and it protects others from you since there are lots of asymptomatic folks walking around with it.  

Wearing a mask never harms anyone, so long as you are not using up supplies that would otherwise be used by healthcare workers

[InquisitiveScouter]

Early on, but before the stay at home order, our local hospital asked for community volunteers to set up a large tent (an outdoor event-type tent like those used for weddings, about 72' long) outside the hospital so they could screen patients there before concentrating them in the building.  We put together two teams of ten, mixed Scouts and adults.  We told the hospital we would work shifts of four hours, and that we wanted to adhere to CDC guidelines of groups no larger than ten, we would stay outside the hospital the whole time, bring our own food/water,  use port-a-john, etc.  The hospital said they thought it would require more than ten at a time to set it up, and they could not support our stipulations.  So, we declined the opportunity.  A few days later, our governor issued the stay at home order.

[mashmaster]

41 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Early on, but before the stay at home order, our local hospital asked for community volunteers to set up a large tent (an outdoor event-type tent like those used for weddings, about 72' long) outside the hospital so they could screen patients there before concentrating them in the building.  We put together two teams of ten, mixed Scouts and adults.  We told the hospital we would work shifts of four hours, and that we wanted to adhere to CDC guidelines of groups no larger than ten, we would stay outside the hospital the whole time, bring our own food/water,  use port-a-john, etc.  The hospital said they thought it would require more than ten at a time to set it up, and they could not support our stipulations.  So, we declined the opportunity.  A few days later, our governor issued the stay at home order.

Frankly, I am happy it didn't work out.  This is pretty scary stuff.

[InquisitiveScouter]

Yes, they had lots of other volunteers...and later our county was one of the first locked down in the state, and now has the third highest number of cases in the state. 

My line in the sand was the CDC guidelines.  They were there for a reason...