The effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 comes with many inconveniences for people, some large and some small.
For nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals who work with the public …
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The effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 comes with many inconveniences for people, some large and some small.
For nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals who work with the public all day, one added inconvenience is the discomfort caused by constantly wearing a face mask. A now-common complaint among healthcare staff is that the elastic bands on medical masks rub and irritate the skin where they wrap around the ears.
A small business owner in Wright City hopes to make a small difference for local healthcare workers by donating items to save them from that discomfort.
Kermit Parsons, owner of the Kermit’s Kustoms engraving business, recently gave away “ear savers,” accessories that hold the bands of a face mask behind the back of the head, keeping the bands away from the wearer’s ears. Parsons handed ear savers out to staff at two clinics in Warrenton, as well as locations in St. Charles County.
“People who are wearing masks are getting sores behind their ears, and it’s uncomfortable for them,” Parsons said. “If you’re doing a 12 hour shift and you have a mask on all the time, it’s pretty rough. It’s something they’re not used to.”
Parsons said he was inspired by examples of people using specialty equipment to help with local needs. He used his laser cutter, which is normally used for engraving, to carve dozens of flexible, plastic ear savers.
Parsons made trips to the Mercy and SSM clinics in Warrenton April 9 to donate the ear savers, before going to other stops in Wentzville and Lake St. Louis.
“I just wanted to do something good. All the medical field is dealing with something that’s unheard of. ... It’s something that’s really affecting their life,” Parsons said. “I hope to do something good and donate them for a little while.”
