Masks, Gloves and More Provided to Hospitals, Emergency Personnel
Face shields, gloves and gowns like the ones shown being worn here by UMass Lowell students and faculty were among the personal protective equipment recently donated by the university to local hospitals, health organizations and first responders.
04/02/2020
Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – When local health-care organizations and first responders rang the alarm about shortages of protective equipment, UMass Lowell responded.
The university’s Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences and Kennedy College of Sciences recently donated face shields, masks, gloves, surgical gowns, eyewear and more to workers who are on the front lines of fighting COVID-19.
The shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been of critical concern as the number of coronavirus cases has surged across the U.S. Without proper protection, health-care workers and emergency responders are at risk of getting and spreading infection.
Shortie McKinney, dean of the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, reached out to academic departments to collect PPE that was being used in labs and other settings before the university moved to remote learning and operations, reducing the need for such equipment on campus.
“This highly contagious and fast-moving pandemic shows no mercy for health-care professionals who need to care for sick patients,” said McKinney.
Areas of the college that provided equipment include Medical Laboratory Sciences, Physical Therapy and Kinesiology, and the Solomont School of Nursing. Recipients of the college’s donations include Lowell General Hospital and Lowell Community Health Center.
“Nurses are the frontline health providers during normal times, frequently sacrificing their own health and safety to care for and protect their patients,” said Solomont School of Nursing Dean Leslie Neal-Boylan. “All health-care professionals need the appropriate gear, tools and staffing to combat this pandemic and we are happy to do our part.”
In the Kennedy College of Sciences, donations like isopropyl alcohol, disposable gowns and about 40,000 gloves were provided by the departments of Chemistry and Biological Sciences to local providers including Lowell General Hospital, Lawrence General Hospital and the Greater Lawrence Family Health Clinic.
Early action is critical, according to Prof. Susanna Remold, chairwoman of the Biological Sciences Department, who previously served with the National Science Foundation’s Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Program. “We assumed that the situation would escalate over a short timeframe and we were right.”
UMass Lowell’s Office of Life Safety and Emergency Management recently donated a range of protective equipment – Tyvek suits, face shields, masks, gloves and more – to first responders in the city of Lowell. The office is coordinating responses to requests for PPE as other departments across the campus identify available supplies.
“I’ve been doing emergency response for a long time and find that crises tend to bring out the best in people and that’s what’s happening at UMass Lowell,” said Richard Wood, director of life safety and emergency management. “We continue to work directly with the city of Lowell Emergency Operations Center and state officials to provide personal protection equipment to those who need it.”
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu