Story provided by Stillwater Medical Center
Citizens across Stillwater and north-central Oklahoma have been tremendously generous in their support for Stillwater Medical Center during the Coronavirus Pandemic. They have received approximately 200 donations of personal protective equipment (PPE), IV poles, gift bags, food items, and nearly 5,000 handmade face masks.
“We never imagined that so many people would reach out to offer assistance during this time,” said Scott Petty, Stillwater Medical Foundation Executive Director. “It has been very heartwarming to know that so many people care about our team members.”
Petty said one example of community collaboration is with Oklahoma State University. He said the College of Veterinary Medicine, the College of Engineering Architecture and Technology, and the OSU Health Services have all played a big role in the efforts to ensure the hospital has much-needed supplies during this time.
“OSU Health Services provided much-needed PPE, Vet Med provided much-needed equipment, and the CEAT has used 3D printers to make a variety of complimentary equipment to enhance patient and staff protection,” said Petty.
Petty explained that they are still in need of fabric face masks for those patients visiting Stillwater Medical Center for imaging, labs, or other tests that cannot be postponed.
“For the foreseeable future, everyone visiting a Stillwater Medical facility will be required to have a mask,” said Petty. “This protects the safety of both patients and staff.”
Stillwater Medical’s original call for seamstresses in mid-March went viral around the country and was promoted nationally by MSNBC and FOX News. They have since received masks from seven states and multiple towns in Oklahoma.
“We quickly realized that we needed to centralize our collection efforts of all types of donations,” said Petty. “Our intent for this fund is to provide resources benefiting patients, personal protective equipment, and other human needs at Stillwater Medical during this Novel Coronavirus pandemic, or for future catastrophic or pandemic needs.”
Petty explained that the hospital is in a good position in regards to PPE at this time. However, it would not be the case if our community had not rallied behind us and provided much needed supplies.
“The Stillwater Medical staff is most grateful for the generosity of the citizens of this area. These gestures of kindness are both needed and welcomed,” he said.
For information about supporting the COVID-19 Emergency Medical Relief effort for Stillwater Medical visit https://smc-foundation.org/emergency-relief-fund/.
