Tulsa Dentist Creates Face Mask Machine That Uses Purified Air

A Tulsa dentist is asking the community to donate CPAP machines that will be used to create wearable respirators for doctors and nurses on the front lines.

Staff at Henrich Dental are not seeing anywhere near the patients they are used to right now and it hasn't been easy.

"Basically, my identify was taken away because I consider myself to be someone who helps people, who provides a service," said Dr. Frank Henrich.

Dr. Henrich says he learned Hunter Engineering is asking for people to donate CPAP machines, they would use to build a wearable machine called a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR).

"I like to help people and part of my practice is I treat people with sleep apnea, with we make an oral device for people who are intolerant to the CPAP machine," said Henrich.

The machines would help protect doctors and nurses as they treat patients on the frontlines. Dr. Jennifer Delaney has been working with a team of people to get the device ready to submit to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

"It is a machine that forces air through an anti-bacterial or anti-viral filter into a headpiece so that that healthcare worker so that healthcare worker is only breathing purified air," said Delaney.

If the machine is approved, it could be used in hospitals across the country.

"I am not a manufacturer, I am a doctor, I am not an engineer, I am a doctor, I just want to help protect people," said Delaney.

Dr. Henrich, just got the first donations today.

"I actually took it apart and got the motor out of it. I will send that to Hunter Engineering and then those will be upcycled to make the respirators," said Henrich. 

The virus might have changed the structure of our days, but it hasn't changed people's need to give back.

"I think most people want to help other people and sometimes there are opportunities that are really easy to find and sometimes there are opportunities you might have to dig a little deeper," said Henrich.