Amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the faculty and staff in the Ivester College of Health Sciences at Brenau University are doing what they can to help.
Hundreds of boxes of gloves, masks and N95 respirators were donated from the various health sciences departments across the university to Northeast Georgia Health System.
The donation was organized by Dr. Heather Ross, chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, and her husband Matt, a BSN student at Brenau and patient care tech at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
“In monitoring posts from others in the health care field, it became clear that hospitals and clinics were in need of personal protective equipment and reaching out to the academic setting to obtain supplies,” Heather Ross said. “We thought it would be a useful act to determine if Brenau University had supplies that could be donated to the hospital.”
Dr. Jessi Shrout, assistant professor of biology, helped arrange donations from the Math and Science Department to both the hospital and the Gainesville Police Department.
Shrout said she and her coworkers were inspired by The Brenau Ideal, which encourages all “to find joy in doing, rather than in dreaming” and “to be prepared for service.”
“In this situation it’s easy to feel helpless,” Shrout said. “So doing — even in a small way — gives us a bit more purpose during this unsure time.”
Ross agreed and said she was grateful for the opportunity to help those who are doing the most critical work throughout this time.
“Our health care providers are essential in the management of this epidemic and are on the front lines to treat COVID-19 positive patients as well as the rest of the hospital census in the safest way possible,” Ross said. “Their access to proper PPE throughout their day is essential for their own health and to control spread within the hospital setting.”
