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-------- Missatge reenviat --------
Assumpte: 	HACKERS and HOSPITALS: How you can help
Data: 	Tue, 31 Mar 2020 18:32:28 -0400
De: 	Dana Morgenstein, FSF



Free software activists, as well as many scientists and medical
professionals, have long since realized that proprietary medical
software and devices are neither ethical nor adequate to our needs
<https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/freedom-devices-and-health/>.
The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated some of these shortcomings to a
broader audience -- and also given our community a unique opportunity to
offer real, material help at a difficult time. We're putting together a
plan to pitch in, and we hope you'll join us: keep reading to find out
what you can do!

You may already be aware that software and hardware restrictions are
actively hampering
<https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wxekgx/hospitals-need-to-repair-ventilators-manufacturers-are-making-that-impossible>
the ability of hospitals to repair desperately needed ventilators all
over the world, and how some Italian volunteers ran into problems
<https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/17/21184308/coronavirus-italy-medical-3d-print-valves-treatments>
when they 3D printed ventilator valves. (As you can see from the link,
the stories vary about exactly what their interaction with the
manufacturer was, but it's clear that the company refused to release
proprietary design files, forcing the volunteers to reverse-engineer the
parts.)

Past coverage of the struggles of free software activists to free the
devices they use includes:

  *

    Software Freedom Conservancy executive director and Free Software
    Award winner
    <https://www.fsf.org/news/public-lab-and-karen-sandler-are-2017-free-software-awards-winners-1>
    Karen Sandler's
    <https://www.fsf.org/working-together/profiles/karen-sandler>
    efforts to raise the alarm about the dangers of proprietary software
    in medical devices, including her own pacemaker;

  *

    The struggles of LibrePlanet speaker
    <https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/freedom-devices-and-health/>
    and OpenAPS <https://openaps.org/> co-founder Dana Lewis, and many
    others
    <https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/04/looping-created-insulin-pump-underground-market/588091/>
    to help Type 1 diabetics take control of their medical treatment
    using an Artificial Pancreas System; and

  *

    The efforts of many patients and activists
    <https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xwjd4w/im-possibly-alive-because-it-exists-why-sleep-apnea-patients-rely-on-a-cpap-machine-hacker>
    to improve the effectiveness of their sleep apnea treatment by
    hacking their CPAP machines.

We've also seen how free software can deliver better health outcomes
from our friends at GNU Health <https://gnuhealth.org> and GNU Health
Embedded <https://libreplanet.org/2020/speakers/#2744>, and how the
participation of everyday people in the scientific process can help to
save the environment through Free Software Award winners Public Lab
<https://www.fsf.org/news/public-lab-and-karen-sandler-are-2017-free-software-awards-winners-1>,
and help in disaster relief through Free Software Award winners Sahana
<https://www.fsf.org/news/social-benefit-award-2006>.

So it's clear that the free software community has a lot of creativity
and know-how to contribute in the tough days ahead, and that with over
845,000 people worldwide stricken with COVID-19 as of this writing, we
absolutely need to pitch in if we can help people to avoid illness, and
to recover from coronavirus. *We know that the 3D printing of medical
equipment is distinctly /not/ an advisable hobby for amateurs, and that
the production of anything more complex than cloth masks will require
expert input.* But we also know that the outlook is bleak if supplies
run short – and that shortages are almost certain
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/18/ventilator-shortage-hospital-icu-coronavirus/>.

That's why we're looking into what we can make with our in-office
Respects Your Freedom (RYF)-certified <https://ryf.fsf.org/> 3D
printers, and we're talking to the brand new Mass General Brigham Center
for COVID Innovation <https://covidinnovation.partners.org/> so they can
direct our efforts. We're also gathering resources for our "HACKERS and
HOSPITALS" plan at the LibrePlanet wiki page
<https://libreplanet.org/wiki/HACKERS_and_HOSPITALS>. If you have
expertise, 3D printers, or supplies to contribute, please contact
Michael via  <mailto:>. If you do not
have the means to produce medical gear and you still want to help,
research can be done from anywhere with only a computer and an Internet
connection. Add any projects that are freely licensed working towards
helping with COVID-19 to the wiki!

We've always believed that it's of crucial importance to human freedom
and creativity to allow us to use all the tools at our disposal with no
restrictions, and right now, we may be able to use the free software
we've built, preserved, and advocated for together to save lives.

Happy and healthy hacking,

Dana Morgenstein
Outreach & Communications Coordinator

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