MONTGOMERY – Alabama’s community colleges are working with the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) to provide much needed medical equipment – including ventilators – to hospitals who need them to aid patients during the coronavirus pandemic.
The supplies are made available from the colleges’ simulated healthcare settings, where thousands of students who choose Alabama’s community colleges each year train for medical careers. The equipment the colleges use is the same, top-quality supply used in hospitals and healthcare facilities across the state.
“It’s no mistake that ‘community’ is embedded in the very names of our colleges,” said ACCS Chancellor Jimmy H. Baker. “Much like our efforts to meet the needs of every student that crosses our path, our colleges work every day to help meet the needs of the communities they serve. We are grateful for the daily sacrifice of Alabama’s healthcare providers and are grateful we can do our part to help serve our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In addition to providing ventilators, community colleges across the state have donated personal protective equipment, or PPE, to local hospitals and other healthcare providers.
The ACCS will coordinate with the ADPH Center for Emergency Preparedness to assist with requests for medical supplies made directly to the ADPH.
“On behalf of the Alabama Department of Public Health, I am grateful for the willingness of the Alabama Community College System to grant the urgent request for the loan of their available ventilators in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said State Health Officer, Scott Harris. “We are continually encouraged by the number of entities across the state that are rising to the occasion to meet the needs of the citizens of Alabama.”
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