With schools currently closed as a part of the Henry County Schools response to the COVID-19 health concern, there are still lessons being taught by district personnel. Recently, students had the chance to experience lessons about caring and compassion for community members.
With medical facilities facing dire shortages of needed supplies to safely treat patients, state director of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Dr. Barbara Wall sent out a call to school district CTAE leaders looking for any extra inventory healthcare science programs could spare. Henry County Schools CTAE Coordinator Dr. Beverly Holyfield jumped into action by reaching out to her healthcare science lead teacher, Sandra Martin, for feedback on what the various school programs could provide.
The response was overwhelming.
“It was amazing that we had supplies that the hospital was totally out of,” said Martin.
Martin, head of the Locust Grove High School program, and her colleagues in the district were able to secure a wide variety of critical supplies from their respective classrooms. These teachers went to their schools and emptied out their medical supply closets. Collaboratively, they were able to donate PPE (personal protective equipment) items such as isolation gowns, bouffant caps, shoe covers, surgical gloves, and regular gloves. One of the most important contributions was that of the scarce N95 masks.
Henry County Schools healthcare science programs and Piedmont Henry have a strong connection to one another as the hospital provides unique opportunities for local students to learn about hospital care up close. Job shadowing and paid internships are just a couple of ways students in the district are afforded unique learning experiences with the county’s largest healthcare provider. The opportunity to give back to the hospital that gives so much to students was humbling to HCS teachers.
Martin added that she was “happy to join with other healthcare science teachers in Henry County to help support our partners in such an incredibly desperate time of need.”
The leaders at Piedmont Henry shared their appreciation for the contributions.
“This is obviously a very challenging time for all hospitals and healthcare providers, so it is a blessing to receive support from our partners in the community,” said Lily Henson, M.D., CEO of Piedmont Henry Hospital. “This donation from Henry County Schools will help keep our staff and our patients safe. It also shows how strong this community is when we work together.”
For more information on Henry County Schools, visit www.henry.k12.ga.us
