claw, door
date: label: date made
content: 2020
notes: label: Description
content: This 3-D printed claw was used during the Covid-19 pandemic at Mary’s Center, a federally-qualified community health center based in Washington, DC, as part of an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
label: Description
content: The Covid-19 pandemic emerged in the US in the winter/spring of 2020. Initially, there was uncertainty about whether the virus spread when people touched surface. (Researchers soon learned it was unlikely to be transmitted that way.) Many people regularly wiped down surfaces, such as the cans groceries came in, and avoided contact such as shaking hands or touching common surfaces. To help patients feel more comfortable, the staff at Mary’s Center gave out claws such as this one to allow people to open doors or press keypads without touching them. These claws were 3D printed and donated by the University of Maryland to the center.
label: Description
content: Mary’s Center, a community health center in Washington, DC, was founded in 1988 by nurse Maria Gomez, who had immigrated from Colombia to the United States as a teenager in the 1960s. Gomez founded the center to serve pregnant Latina immigrants. In many cases, the women had become pregnant as a result of sexual assault during their migration journeys. Over time, the center has expanded to serve children, families, and a diverse patient population by providing health care, education, and social services. Initially housed in a basement in Adams Morgan, the center, as of 2022, has multiple locations in Washington, DC, and Maryland and serves around 65,000 patients a year. It has become a nationally recognized health center for underserved communities.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place used
content: United States: District of Columbia, Washington
topic: label: associated subject
content: Infectious diseases
label: associated subject
content: COVID-19 (Disease)
label: associated subject
content: Public Health
label: associated subject
content: 2019-nCoV disease
label: associated subject
content: Disease prevention
label: associated subject
content: 2019 novel coronavirus disease
label: related event
content: COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Philanthropy
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2021.0197.4
label: accession number
content: 2021.0197
label: catalog number
content: 2021.0197.4
objectType: label: Object Name
content: claw, door
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9.5 cm x 5 cm x .75 cm; 3 3/4 in x 1 31/32 in x 9/32 in