Intubation is the process of inserting a tube into a patient’s airway when they are being placed on a ventilator. Because of the airborne nature of COVID-19, the intubation process presents new risks to the health care workers performing this procedure on an infected patient.
This is why personal protection equipment (PPE) is important now more than ever and why Mercy Health – Lourdes Hospital is appreciative of the recent community donation of five intubation boxes as well as 1,000 face shields.
An intubation box is a protective shield between a patient and medical staff member that is placed over the head and shoulders of a patient as they are intubated. The boxes donated to Lourdes Hospital were presented by West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s (WKCTC) Workforce Solutions Department as well as the Paducah campus of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering. These donations were the result of collaboration between many members of the community.
“I guess you could say I was the intermediary when it came to the intubation boxes,” says Kevin J. O’Neill, WKCTC Vice President of Regional Workforce Training and Economic Development.
After having a difficult time finding a good material source to make the boxes, Kevin started a conversation with Ryan Drane, President of Graves County Economic Development. Their discussion led to the involvement of Keith Crouch, owner of Greer Neon Company Inc. in Mayfield, KY. From there, Keith and his team cut and assembled the boxes.
“Keith is a very talented guy,” Kevin says. “They use the material the boxes are made out of in their sign business. I am pleased with the way everything turned out. The materials and labor for this donation were made possible thanks to Ryan and Keith.”
In addition to the boxes, the colleges provided face shields to Lourdes Hospital. David Silverstein, Director of the Paducah campus, along with faculty members John Baker, Derek Englert and Charles Lu, and students partnered with WKCTC to print the face shields.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to provide this very important PPE to Mercy Health – Lourdes Hospital,” Kevin shares.
The Mercy Health Foundation was happy and grateful to accept these donations on behalf of Lourdes Hospital.
“We could not be more appreciative of the colleges, Graves County Economic Development and Greer Neon Company Inc. for coming together to provide this very important protective equipment to Lourdes,” says Jessica Toren, foundation president. “We are here for our community during this pandemic, and collaborative efforts such as this demonstrate that our community is here for us also and for that we are grateful.”
Visit our website to learn how you can donate supplies to one of our medical facilities.
Stay updated on what Mercy Health is doing related to COVID-19.
