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Sewn From the Heart: Walden Faculty Member Gives Back During COVID 19

Though self isolating, the nursing school program director puts her hands to work helping U.S. healthcare heroes.

Even in the darkest hours, there are beacons of light, strength, and hope whose quiet actions uplift communities and inspire others.

Dr. Nancy Moss, the program director for Walden University’s PhD in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree programs, is one of those beacons. In self isolation as the coronavirus disease (COVID 19) began its spread across the United States, Dr. Moss knew she had to do something for the healthcare community. Hearing about the urgent need for personal protective equipment (PPE), she leapt into action, sewing cloth face masks for the healthcare heroes risking their lives to save lives.

Sewn From the Heart: Walden Faculty Member Gives Back During COVID 19

“Initially, I started making them for labor and delivery nurses, because I knew there would be a need,” said Dr. Moss, whose clinical practice area is as a certified nurse midwife, with a post doctoral certificate as a family nurse practitioner. “But after connecting with my local doctor’s office, they’re going everywhere. Every hospital I know of, at this point, is asking for homemade masks.”

Dr. Moss is a member of the North Carolina chapter of Face Mask Warriors, a national assemblage of over 15,000 volunteers whose nimble fingers and whirring sewing machines have created more than 175,000 pieces of protective face gear.1

While face coverings like those the Face Mask Warriors create aren’t medical grade, they are in demand as the pandemic disease taxes the healthcare system and PPE supply. The crisis capacity advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that the PPE shortage may require healthcare professionals treating COVID 19 patients to wear home sewn masks.2

As with families across the globe, the coronavirus disease outbreak is temporarily separating Dr. Moss from her daughter and her granddaughter. But the mask making mission connects them, as all three keep bobbins threaded and machines humming to help curtail the spread of COVID 19.

And now that the CDC is advising everyone to wear a cloth face covering while in public,3 even more hobbyists are dusting off their machines to create masks for family and friends. If you’d like to get involved or learn more, the Face Mask Warriors offer helpful patterns, materials, and videos on their website.

Dr. Moss is humble about her output, but the three to four masks she creates each evening are no doubt delivered into grateful hands as the need for masks grows. And her contribution is amplified as she inspires family and others to join this nationwide effort.

Dr. Moss also is a shining example for the nursing school students enrolled in the online degree programs she oversees for Walden, an accredited university founded 50 years ago with the mission of positive social change embedded in its core. Empowering the greater good is not just a slogan for Walden, or its thousands of students, alumni, faculty, and staff. It’s a commitment to building stronger communities today and for future generations.

Even while practicing social distancing and in isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, people like Dr. Moss continue to find ways to strengthen their communities. If you’re changemaker, or are dedicated to becoming one, consider earning a degree online from Walden University. Find your higher purpose while advancing your education and career, and become a beacon of light to help guide your community to its highest potential.

Dr. Nancy Moss is the program director for the PhD in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. She joined Walden University in 2012 as a contributing faculty member in the School of Nursing. She received her PhD from The University of Utah in Health Education and Health Care Administration with a focus on stress management. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) at the University of Kentucky with a clinical specialty of nurse midwifery, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Pittsburgh. Her clinical practice area is as a certified nurse midwife with a post doctoral certificate as a family nurse practitioner.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and certificate programs online. Expand your career options and earn your degree using a convenient, flexible learning platform that fits your busy life.


1Source: https://facemaskwarriors.com/
2Source: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019 ncov/hcp/ppe strategy/face masks.html
3Source: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019 ncov/prevent getting sick/diy cloth face coverings.html

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.

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