College Responses to COVID 19 in Kentucky

With a large percentage of the nurses on the front lines fighting COVID 19 in the state of Kentucky received their education and training at colleges in Kentucky. Most local law enforcement and EMT’s also received their training at a local community college, reminding us just how critical these small colleges are not only to those who attend but to the community as a whole. During times of crisis, it is these institutions and their graduates that become essential to the preservation of a community. The college responses to COVID 19 in Kentucky has been uplifting and encouraging during this unprecedented time in history.

Here are Responses to COVID 19 in Kentucky!

Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College

Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College has joined other colleges in the Commonwealth in producing, gathering, and donating personal protective equipment (PPE). While the campuses have been closed to in-person learning, the College’s 3D printers have produced over 1,000 face shields, and to date, they have been donated to area hospitals, clinics, dentist offices, fire departments, and nursing homes. The College’s Nursing and other healthcare programs have donated over 6,000 masks and 200 gowns to help alleviate the shortage of supplies.

Ashland Community and Technical College

Faculty and staff at Ashland Community and Technical College have been using their 3-D printers on campus to make much-needed PPE for frontline healthcare workers. They have been making face shields during the pandemic while the campus is closed to in-person learning. The PPE has been donated to local hospitals within the community.

Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Bluegrass Community and Technical College have a motto that students first have never been more true as they have had their student food pantry open during the pandemic with items available for students. They have had curbside pick-up for food, diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, and more. Faculty and staff at Bluegrass Community and Technical College have been using their 3-D printers on campus to make much-needed PPE for frontline healthcare workers.

They have been making face shields during the pandemic while the campus is closed to in-person learning. The PPE has been donated to local hospitals within the community.

Gateway Community and Technical College

The Paramedic, Nurse Aide and Medical Assisting Departments at Gateway Community and Technical College gathered and donated all the PPE from their respective programs. They were happy to help their community during this time of need. Items donated included masks, gloves, isolation gowns, goggles, and more. The college also kept its student pantry open to help those in the community. They have organized the pantry so orders can be placed online and students and families can pick up food curbside.

Hazard Community and Technical College

Faculty at Hazard Community and Technical College has been helping serve the community from their homes and on campus. Some faculty members have taken it upon themselves to sew cloth masks to donate to local healthcare facilities. Other faculty members have utilized the 3-D printers on campus to produce face shields for healthcare workers on the frontlines.

Henderson Community College

Programs at Henderson Community College gathered all the PPE they had on campus to donate to local healthcare facilities. The nursing program, nurse aid, and medical assisting programs have all been transitioned to an online learning format so the PPE that would have been used on campus for lab and simulation instruction has been donated where it is needed at this time.

Jefferson Community and Technical College

Faculty and staff at Jefferson Community and Technical College have worked together to optimize the 3-d printer they have on campus to produce face shields as efficiently as possible. Working together they have been running the machines 24 hours a day to produce as many as they can. They have produced hundreds and donated them to local hospitals.

Madisonville Community College

Madisonville Community College was proud to step up and help Kentucky out during this crisis by donating much-needed PPE they gathered from various departments on campus. These supplies were donated to Baptist Health-Owensboro and Owensboro Health-Muhlenburg. Faculty has also been busy using the 3-D printers on campus to produce face shields for frontline healthcare workers. Concerned about students that are trying to earn their GED during this crisis and having to transition to remote learning, faculty have stepped up to ensure those students’ needs are being met so they can earn their GED on time.

Maysville Community and Technical College

The nursing program at Maysville Community and Technical College has been transitioned to online courses and that means the nursing lab simulations that used PPE are not running currently. All the PPE that would have been used on campus for those purposes has been collected and donated to local healthcare providers.

Owensboro Community and Technical College

Faculty and staff at Owensboro Community and Technical College have worked together to optimize the 3-d printer they have on campus to produce face shields as efficiently as possible. Working together they have been running the machines 24 hours a day to produce as many as they can. They have produced hundreds and donated them to local hospitals.

Southcentral Community and Technical College

When on-campus instruction moved online the culinary arts program at Southcentral Community and Technical College donated all of the food to the local Salvation Army so it could be distributed to those in need in the community. The college also donated 13 ventilators form their health programs to The Medical Center at Bowling Green.

West Kentucky Community and Technical College

The health and science departments at West Kentucky Community and Technical College gathered and donated all the PPE from their respective programs. They were happy to help their community during this time of need. Items donated included masks, gloves, isolation gowns, goggles, and more. The college is also wanting to keep its pantry open and stocked to serve students in need during this time. They have organized donation times to stock the pantry.

As the core to many communities working-class and healthcare systems, Community Colleges are rising above and beyond in reaching out to their students and providing the community with services on the frontlines during the pandemic of COVID 19. The Community Colleges’ responses to COVID 19 in Kentucky have offered uplifting and positive movements during this unprecedented time in history.

Please contact us if you know of any colleges’ responses to COVID 19!