St. Clair College Donates Beds, Ventilators and Supplies to Local Hospitals | St. Clair College
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Dave Purdie pushes out an extra hospital bed.

Windsor, Ontario - St. Clair College will be delivering equipment from its Health Sciences programs to local hospitals as the healthcare institutions prepare for the possibility of an increase in patients requiring treatment for COVID-19.

The College has been taking inventory of its Personal Protective Equipment – gloves, gowns and masks – as it prepares to hand over the items to Windsor Regional Hospital, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, and Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.

In addition, the College will lend out its hospital beds in the event they are needed for an overflow of patients.

Three ventilators and other lifesaving equipment have been delivered to Windsor Regional Hospital.

"From its founding several years ago – and based upon its design to replicate a hospital-in-miniature – St. Clair had pledged to provide the local healthcare community with access to the services and equipment of the Toldo Centre for Applied Health Sciences," St. Clair College President Patti France said. "It is our distinct honour, now, to make good on that promise by providing our heroic hospital personnel with the protective devices and patient-care equipment which they so urgently need."

The beds are being sent to our local hospitals. The College has a total of 90 beds. "Right now, they’re expanding for the potential and they reached out to us and we have been able to provide them 35 of our beds and we are able to lend more if needed," said Dr. Ken Blanchette, Associate Vice President, Academic.

"These are true hospital beds, from our Simulation Centre and they are used by all the health care programs."

Students in Health Sciences programs are currently completing their classes online. Labs have been suspended as a result of the extraordinary measures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are prepared, also, to provide the local hospital system with any further assistance which St. Clair might be in a position to offer: consultative advice from our faculty, sharing social media postings, and the continued donation of any additional items that it might need in the future," France said. "If St. Clair can help the community in this life-saving effort, it will respond immediately and whole-heartedly."

Wendy Foote, an instructor in the Respiratory Therapy program, helps an employee from Windsor Regional Hospital load critical care equipment for delivery to the hospital.
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