MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – In response to requests from their healthcare colleagues fighting the COVID-19 outbreak on the front lines, the leaders of SUNY Orange Health Professions programs Wednesday delivered a donation of 4,505 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) items to Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital’s Newburgh campus.

The collection of items came from the College’s inventory, which won’t be used the remainder of this Spring as the College has moved its academic instruction to alternative/distance formats in keeping with New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s population density guidelines and social distancing guidance.

In heeding the call from St. Luke’s for donations of PPE, the collection was coordinated by Dr. Michael Gawronski, associate academic vice president for the health professions division at SUNY Orange. Dr. Pat Cal, Nursing Department chairperson, and Mary Ann McGinnis-Adamo, chairperson of the Dental Hygiene Department, assisted with the collection and delivery. Each of the departments in the College’s Health Professions division that require PPE contributed to the stockpile, along with the Arts and Communication Department and the Wellness Center.

“Throughout our division, there was a sense that we wanted to help,” Gawronski said. “As healthcare professionals ourselves, we’ve been tracking this outbreak and we recognize the stress the doctors, nurses and other providers are under. Supplies of PPE are becoming critical. We wanted to move our unused inventory to a place where it can be helpful.”

Wednesday’s donation included 3,400 gloves (various sizes), 450 facemasks with shields, 300 molded (non-N-95) facemasks, 175 head caps, 115 gowns, 40 N-95 facemasks, 15 miscellaneous face shields and 10 sets of goggles.

In addition, the College will be delivering a donation of 100 surgical masks with face shields, 150 molded surgical masks and eight boxes of surgical gloves (various sizes) to the Bon Secours Charity Health System later this week in response to a request.

Leaders from SUNY Orange’s health professions programs recently coordinated a donation of 4,505 items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in response to a request from Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital. Dr. Michael Gawronski (left), associate academic vice president for the College’s health professions division, was joined by Dr. Pat Cal (center), chairperson of the College’s nursing department, and Mary Ann McGinnis-Adamo, chairperson of the SUNY Orange dental hygiene department, in collecting the items and delivering them to the hospital’s Newburgh campus. (photo by Steve Hedderton)