Alabama’s Community Colleges Help with Medical Equipment Needs

Alabama’s community colleges are working with the Alabama Department of Public Health to provide medical equipment, including ventilators, to hospitals which need them to help patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

 The equipment is coming from the colleges’ simulated healthcare settings, that are normally used to train students.  The community college system says the equipment is of the same quality as that used in hospitals and healthcare facilities across the state.

“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,” said ACCS Chancellor Jimmy H. Baker in a statement.

In addition to providing ventilators, community colleges 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, Dr. 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.”