College of Saint Mary donates remaining protective equipment to local clinics amidst pandemic
OMAHA, Neb. – College of Saint Mary has donated all of its remaining personal protective equipment (PPE) to local health clinics in an effort to combat the shortage caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Medical supplies, such as masks, gowns, gloves and other PPE have been scarce for some time now due to the growing cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., and university leaders felt it was time to step in and help in any way possible.
“I am glad we could find a way to help during this unprecedented time—to assist our brothers and sisters on the frontline and making sure they remain safe while caring for patients,” says Tracey Toney, assistant professor of nursing at CSM. “Similar to how it takes a village to raise a child, it is going to take the help of communities to keep our healthcare providers safe.”
It was during a March 17th nursing programs meeting when the idea first came about for donating the university’s remaining store of supplies. The initial purpose of the discussion was determining how to transition to remote learning, but when you get so many health professionals in the same room, the “how can we help” instinct inevitably kicks in. The group quickly took inventory of what supplies they had on hand and brainstormed where they could make the most impact with the donations.
“Our thoughts were to donate to some of the smaller clinical sites who may be more severely affected due to the coronavirus pandemic,” says Dr. Christi Glesmann, associate professor of nursing and director of CSM’s undergraduate nursing program.
The CSM nursing department donated over 1,000 medical gloves, 400 protective masks, and nearly 150 gowns to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals in Omaha.
“To say that I am overwhelmed and blessed by this generosity would be an understatement,” says Dennise Exstrom, Education Instructor and Supervisor at Madonna. “We would like to sincerely thank College of Saint Mary for thinking of us and for keeping us and our community in their prayers.”
But it’s not just the nursing department that’s helping pitch in. The occupational therapy program donated gloves, masks, gowns, tissues and disinfectant wipes to the Pediatric Therapy Center in Papillion. The physician assistant program also donated several boxes of masks, gowns and gloves to a local clinic.
“It’s just the right thing to do for the community in which we live,” adds Glesmann. “College of Saint Mary wants to help out as much as possible. We had some PPE leftover from this last year and it feels good to donate it to those who can put it to good use during this time.”
For more information on how College of Saint Mary is aiding those affected by COVID-19, go to CSM.edu. If you’d like to see how you can help, email us at information [at] csm.edu.
