Inmates at the Hernando County Detention Center are being put to work to combat a shortage of face masks at Hernando County area hospitals.

Personnel at the detention center first became aware of the face mask shortage on March 20, 2020.

Lt. Teresa Stevens immediately began researching the face mask shortage and devised a plan utilizing inmates to make face masks for use by local medical personnel.

Upon receiving permission from the Jail Administrator, Major Shaun Klucznik, Lt. Stevens proceeded to implement the project.

On March 23, four female inmates were selected to participate in the face mask project, along with Deputy Stacey Gooding, Deputy Krystal DeJesus, and Lt. Stevens.

Four sewing machines and numerous supplies were donated to the detention center to make the face masks.

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Lt. Stevens’s’ first order of business was to conduct a basic sewing class for all participants. By the end of Monday, the inmates had learned to iron, measure, and cut fabric to make the masks.

By the end of the day on March 25, the four inmates had completed 131 face masks.

The first batch of face masks was donated on March 26 to Bayfront Health Brooksville.  Additional donations will be made to other area hospitals in the coming days.

Lt. Stevens also made contact with administrators of the Million Mask Challenge, a nationwide effort to combat the face mask shortage for medical personnel. The hope is the group can help coordinate community needs and develop additional resources for face mask production.

Lt. Stevens said this project has allowed the female inmates an opportunity to interact in a positive setting with other female inmates while learning a new skill and building self-esteem.

“To see the inmates smile as they developed extreme pride and ownership of the project from a deputy’s perspective while giving back to the community is a great gift,” she said.