Hospitals around the world have made reports of being low on protective gear during this pandemic. UNF staff decided to lend a helping hand by donating personal protective equipment (PPE), to Baptist Health Hospital on March 23.  

The Dean of Brooks College of Health, Curt Lox, delivered the supplies downtown around 3 p.m. that day. 

“I was contacted by a representative of Baptist Health and I approached Pat Richards (Director of Student Health Services) and asked if she thought we might have even a small bag of PPE that we could afford to donate,” Lox said.  “She and a colleague reviewed the inventory and were able to cobble together some items in which we were relatively well-stocked.”  

Baptist Health is a key partner of UNF, so the university wanted to do something to assist them, according to Lox. 

The university was able to donate gloves, surgical masks, a few N95 masks, gowns, several cases of paper tape, one bottle of hand sanitizer and one container of Caviwipes. 

“Admittedly, we were a bit stingy with the N95 masks, hand sanitizer, and Caviwipes because we wanted to be sure we were well-stocked in those given the uncertain COVID-19 future on our campus,” Lox said. 

Lox noted that the items took up about half of his trunk in full, and although it wasn’t hundreds of items, he did mention he had to keep some for the safety and well-keeping of UNF and its students. 

“As my mom used to say, it is the thought that counts,” Lox said. 

__

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.