Pictured from left to right: CFMH Manager of Materials Laura Yerkey; Director of Nursing Tracy McCown; Ferrum College Natural Science Division Chair & Professor of Environmental Science Delia Heck; Health Professions Division Chair & Associate Professor of Biology Katie Goff; and CFMH Vice President & Administrator Carl Cline.
During the first week of Ferrum College’s distance learning program put in place to combat the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), Adjunct Professor and former Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Jinnie Garrett had an idea.
“Listening to the news reports of hospitals lacking personal protection equipment [PPE], I thought about all the supplies I know are sitting in academic and research labs around the country,” said Garrett. “I felt we should try to redirect those to the medical community while the supply chain is ramped up.”
Garrett contacted Ferrum College’s Natural Science Division Chair and Professor of Environmental Science Delia Heck, who put the idea into action. After Provost Aimé Sposato’s approval, a team of several faculty members, staff, and one student formed to gather PPE from various locations on Ferrum’s campus.
“[Laboratory Assistant] Eileen Maher and I went around Garber and collected [PPE],” said Heck. “It was like an Easter egg hunt going to various classrooms and labs to find ‘hidden’ locations. [Nursing Division Chair] Kim Brown also picked up supplies from our location at the Franklin Center in Rocky Mount. [Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Chemistry] Jason Powell helped collect supplies from the labs.”
The team also included Health Professions Division Chair and Associate Professor of Biology Katie Goff; sophomore and recreation leadership major Benton Heck; and Lab Supervisor Carol Love.
The PPE that was gathered included 16,000 gloves, 450 protective surgical masks, 200 head coverings, 200 foot coverings, and 75 lab coats, and was delivered on Friday, March 20, to Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital (CFMH) in Rocky Mount. The supplies were received by Carl Cline, vice president and administrator at CFMH; Tracy McCown, director of nursing; and Laura Yerkey, manager of materials.
“Carl Cline’s first response was that he was ‘flabbergasted’ by the offer of the PPE,” said Heck. “When we dropped it off we were only close together for about 30 seconds to take the picture so we were not putting each other in danger.”
CFMH will use the supplies within their system where the need is greatest during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For Ferrum College, those resources were not going to their highest use-value. By donating them, they moved from shelves in empty buildings to meeting the needs of our community, exemplifying our motto of ‘Not Self, But Others’,” said Heck.
Read more about the donation in this Franklin News-Post article.
Read more about the School of Arts and Sciences here, and the School of Health Professions and Social Sciences here.
