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Reid State Technical College recently provided 100 items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to aid hospitals in need facing the challenge of keeping a more than usual amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) on the shelves. Supplies were split among Evergreen Medical Center and D.W. McMillan Hospital who were close to facing a shortage were it not for Reid State Technical College. A recent memo prompting colleges to reach out to local health care facilities led Practical Nursing Instructor Felicia Hall-Grace to pull together the colleges resources and see where the need was.

“I reached out to Christy Brown, Chief Nursing Officer at Evergreen Medical Center and Bob Ellis, Director of Nursing at D.W. McMillan Hospital because of a memo that we received from Chancellor Baker regarding reaching out to our local health care facilities to see if we could assist with the needs of personal protective equipment (PPE) and they both had a dire need for facemasks and isolation gowns,” said Practical Nursing Instructor Felicia Hall-Grace.

The hospitals received 100 isolation gowns that help protect doctors, nurses, environmental staff, laboratory technicians and any other person who may come in contact with a potentially infected person from contacting COVID-19. The nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) has affected all healthcare facilities. However, Hall-Grace heads the college’s Nursing Assistant (NAS) program and had these critical supplies available from her nursing assistant program.  “The hospital is very thankful to have a college like Reid State in the community,” said Evergreen Medical Center Administrator Tom Mclendon.

The college continues to work remotely to help the community and train those that seek new skills in high-demand careers.  For more information on the college’s programs, please visit www.rstc.edu or contact 251-578-1313. Pictured in the D.W. McMillan photo are D.W. McMillan staff: Johntoe Brown (EMS), Bob Ellis (D.W. McMillan Hospital Director of Nursing), Reid State graduate Tabitha Lindsey (LPN), and Felicia Hall-Grace (RSTC Practical Nursing Assistant Instructor not staff). Pictured in the Evergreen Medical Center photo are EMC staff: Heather Vines (LPN), Elizabeth Ivey, (RN & RSTC Advisory Council Member), Felicia Hall-Grace (RSTC Practical Nursing Assistant Instructor not EMC staff) and Andrea Simpson (EMC Nursing Assistant and RSTC Nursing Assistant graduate).