The “Handy Hooks Helper” project is a joint effort between the Canadian International Hockey Academy (CIHA) in Rockland and the Township of Russell, with the help of the United Counties of Prescott-Russell emergency services department.
The Handy Hook is a palm-sized device that attaches on a keychain and allows a person to push electronic buttons, press down door catches, unlatch doors and pull door handles, all while avoiding actual direct contact with the door handle or button. That means less risk of contracting COVID-19 from contact with an unsanitized door handle or push-button.
Handy Hooks are made by AJMK, a company based in the United Kingdom. Kiernan Chung, a CIHA student, has been helping his family make the item and was instrumental in getting the company to donate 3000 Handy Hooks for distribution among health care workers in the Prescott-Russell region.
The CIHA is coordinating with Russell Township to distribute the Handy Hooks to health care facilities in the region. Paramedics with the UCPR ambulance service will deliver supplies of Handy Hooks to local hospitals and long-term care facilities.