community engagement

Helping hands

As the spring semester progressed, we soon realized that we were not living in a vacuum and that the Bloomington community needed our help in the fight against COVID-19. The vignettes that follow illustrate three of the many ways in which we were proud to extend a helping hand to our Bloomington colleagues, co-workers, and friends in the university-wide effort to win this fight!

Helping our hospital

Hanna Raber and Mary Lynn Davis-Ajami helped guide the small army of movers who made it possible for us to donate equipment from the NLRC to IU Health Bloomington Hospital.
In early April, we were pleased to loan much of the non-disposable medical equipment from our Nursing Learning Resource Center (NLRC) and Inter-Professional Simulation (SIM) Center to IU Health Bloomington Hospital to help them prepare for the anticipated surge in COVID-19 patients. 

Donations from the NLRC included 11 IV pumps, 10 IV poles, 13 IV channels, seven hospital beds, 11 bedside tables, one feeding pump, 10 boxes of face masks, 16 canisters of sanitizing wipes, 100 isolation gowns and 18 boxes of exam gloves. The SIM Center donated all of its personal protective equipment, including four cases of isolation gowns, three cases of exam gloves, eight boxes of sterile gloves, and two boxes of masks, along with two patient beds, two patient tray tables, and two Alaris Pumps and poles with eight channels.

A special thank you to IUSON BL Associate Dean Dr. Mary Lynn Davis-Ajami; SIM Center Coordinator Sally Gindling; Lecturer and NLRC Manager Hanna Raber; SIM Center Operations Specialist Jonathan Swisher; IU Health Administrative Director of Perioperative Services Pam V. Chapman; and the small army of IU movers who helped to make this happen!

Helping our community

Slowing the spread of COVID-19
Not to be outdone, our 2nd degree accelerated students – working with Katherine Pope from IU’s Center for Rural Engagement, Lecturers Ronda Hendricks and Sonita Ball, and Clinical Assistant Professor Erin Wyatt as part of their B334 community clinical – prepared highly-imaginative and helpful videos with tips on how to practice social distancing; sterilize your cell phone; safely remove sanitizing gloves; make homemade hand sanitizer; and hand-sew your very own protective mask. The video on the left, created by accelerated 2nd degree student Lucas Elliot, is a sample of their work!

They also produced a resource directory of COVID-related social services for distribution at area supermarkets, drugstores, and other public places. “Our accelerated BSN students are fantastic!” says Erin Wyatt. “I am extremely proud of their concern for the community, their desire to help others, and their ability to think outside the box!”

Helping our front line heroes

Becky Jessmer & Pizza X
We wanted to give our Front Line Heroes (the nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals providing direct patient care to COVID-19 patients) a few precious moments to practice self-care before continuing on their life-saving work. As a result, Assistant Director of Development Becky Jessmer – with an assist from Bloomington’s Pizza X – journeyed to IU Health Bloomington Hospital, then headed south to IU Health Bedford Hospital, to drop off gift packages filled with pizza and cookies.
Pam Chapman, Mary Lynn Davis-Ajami, and Hanna Raber

Daily headlines remind us that the work to stem the spread of COVID-19 goes on, and there are sure to be difficult days ahead.

“But, when we look back at these challenging times,” says IUSON BL Associate Dean Mary Lynn Davis-Ajami, “it is the many acts of kindness on the part our students, faculty and staff – and those that are still to come – that will have distinguished our school and that we will cherish the most.”