Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) is doing its part in the fight against COVID-19, closing campus, moving non-essential employees to remote work locations, migrating in-person and hybrid classes online, and most recently, donating more than $3,000 worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) to Banner Del Webb Medical Center in Sun City.
“Our graduates are working in these facilities and the facilities are serving our community,” EMCC Clinical Nursing Professor Dr. Roni Collazo said. “They need the equipment. It shouldn't be sitting in a lab that cannot be accessed.”
EMCC sprang into action following an email from the Organization of Associate Degree Nursing (OADN). The organization, of which EMCC’s Nursing Program is a member, requested donations of PPE to local facilities in response to shortages experienced across the country.
“They were very aware that our labs were well stocked, and not being used during this time,” Dr. Collazo said.
EMCC Vice President of Administrative Services Heather Weber gave the donation the green light, a decision, she said, that was one of the easier ones she’s had to make in a while.
“I didn’t have to think twice about it,” Dr. Weber said. “It’s imperative that we keep our healthcare workers healthy if we’re going to win this battle against this virus.”
Collazo and her team then coordinated with other programs in MaricopaNursing to assure they were covering the Valley, and on March 20, EMCC dropped off 154 boxes of gloves in varying sizes, 14 boxes of surgical masks, four containers of sanicloths, 60 yellow gowns, and eight hand sanitizers to Banner Del Webb.
“We have a close working relationship with Webb,” Dr. Collazo said. “We hold some of our clinicals there and they hire many of our graduates.”
Banner Del Webb officials thanked EMCC and said the donation was “liquid gold.”
To learn more about how Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) and the Maricopa Community Colleges District are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit https://www.maricopa.edu/covid-19.