This article was originally published in Town and Gown on May 7, 2020. You can read the original at the following link: http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/the-helpers-from-an-antihunger-army-to-frontline-health-care-workers-centre-countians-step-up-in-face-of-crisis,1483192/
In these most unprecedented and difficult of times, Centre Countians from first responders and medical professionals to folks with a needle, thread, and a spirit of generosity are stepping up to meet the challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are just a few of their stories.
This is part two of a special report in Town&Gown’s May edition. Read part one here. Part three will be published Friday.
The Anti-Hunger Army
From his small office inside the Moshannon Valley YMCA, Executive Director Mel Curtis directs the delivery of food to thousands of children. It’s nothing new for Curtis, whose oversight of the Y’s Anti-Hunger Program has earned the Philipsburg branch national recognition. But amid the coronavirus crisis, with Curtis at the helm, the YMCA of Centre County has facilitated an unprecedented movement of resources.
“It’s like a huge army,” Curtis says of the 200 volunteers working to feed the community. “It’s unbelievable. I put a Facebook plea out for homemade masks, because we can’t get them, and I’ve been getting them left and right. It’s mind-boggling.”
Since pandemic restrictions were mandated by the government, the Y’s staff dwindled from 300 within the association to 20. Despite the bare-bones operation, the Y has organized up to 3,400 meals a day some days, with tractor-trailers collecting food from as far away as York, Harrisburg, and Williamsport for distribution across 30 sites in Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, Pine Glenn, Penns Valley, Osceola, State College, and elsewhere.
The Y army has been delivering daily lunches, weekend snacks, emergency weekend food boxes for families, soup drive-thrus, and home deliveries for the elderly and veterans who don’t have a way to get to a food site.
“It’s less about the Y and more about how much the community has stepped up and chosen to care for their neighbors,” says Scott Mitchell, president and CEO of the YMCA of Centre County. “The Y is the vehicle by which we’re able to use the support from the community. Mel orchestrates the whole thing – he’s got more energy than most of us combined – and the volunteer support has been incredible.”
Local businesses, of which about 80 percent are new partners with the Y, have donated food, vehicles, gas cards, money, and manpower to help. The list is so big that Curtis updates it daily on social media.
“We’ve got some heavy-hitters out of Centre County who have stepped up,” Curtis says.
Then there are the individuals who volunteer every day to load and unload trucks, drive food to drop-off locations, hand out soup, run food to cars, and make deliveries. Curtis says a group of veterans from the American Legion, calling themselves the “437 Militia,” has been particularly pro-active.
“I get a phone call every day from them, and they say, ‘We’re waiting for what you need us to do,’” says Curtis.
“In a time that’s so challenging and difficult, it’s really been amazing to watch the generosity and how caring people are during these moments,” says Mitchell. “There’s kind of a silver lining in this whole thing.
“Another thing that has been incredible for us: We’ve had many, many members choose to continue to pay their memberships through this time as a way to support us and our efforts to offer food security to the families, and that’s been very moving and motivating to us. Without the community funding, we wouldn’t have the ability to continue to do this.”
Curtis says the Y is going to continue to feed as many people as it can for as long as possible.
“That’s what the Y is all about,” says Curtis. “We’re here to take care of the community.”
– Teresa Mull
Unleashing the Power of Penn State
When Tim Simpson, a professor in Penn State’s College of Engineering, transitioned his undergraduate 3D-printing course online because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he began looking for a new project for his students to work on while they were away from the lab.
In doing so, he ultimately unleashed the power of the Penn State community to provide medical equipment for the fight against the virus.
“It was going to be tough to run a hands-on lab when students weren’t allowed in the labs, so I started looking for ideas about 3D printing COVID-19 PPE (personal protective equipment), which students can help design from their homes,” he says. “My students jumped at the opportunity to focus their project on this pressing need.”
At the same time, he began to talk and share articles with others in the local 3D-printing community about potential projects.
“Everyone sort of saw the opportunity, with a shortage of PPE, and said, ‘Hey I got a 3D printer, how can I help?’ And it just grew and grew and grew, sort of a grassroots effort,” says Simpson.
Before long, the senior leadership at Penn State started to look at the PPE needs of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
“And the grassroots effort got connected with that, and then it really took off,” Simpson says.
The initiative, called Manufacturing and Sterilization for COVID-19 (MASC), grew to include more experts from the College of Engineering, the Applied Research Lab, the Hershey Medical Center, and the Smeal College of Business.
Actuated Medical Inc., a medical device manufacturer in Bellefonte, offered to make available 9,000 square feet of manufacturing space that can be scaled up to 18,000 square feet if needed.
In State College, The Rivet at Discovery Space – a nonprofit makerspace that began serving the community in February – got in on the efforts with its 3D printers.
With the help of these local businesses, PPE and medical devices, such as replacement parts for ventilators, are being designed, printed, tested, and mass-produced for emergency and health-care services across Pennsylvania.
“It has been incredible to witness so many talented people collaborate to meet very real local, national, and global needs,” says Camille Sogin, manager of The Rivet. “We’re grateful to be able to make a difference and put our machines to the task of helping people. We’re doing our best to collaborate with everyone making PPE, whether that is the grassroots efforts of local people sewing masks organized by The Makery, the innovative minds at PSU creating products that can be made on a large scale, the production line of our business partner Actuated Medical, or individuals sheltering at home with a 3D printer making one piece at a time. Every single one of these people are making a difference and saving lives.”
To help produce the equipment on a larger scale, Actuated Medical’s team stood up a manufacturing line in seven days (normally standing up a production line takes many weeks), and brought in laser-machining capabilities to streamline production.
“It takes a village to accomplish tasks to quickly meet the needs due to Covid-19. And our village includes Tim Simpson, Penn State, and The Rivet at Discovery Space,” says Maureen L. Mulvihill, president & CEO of Actuated Medical Inc. “They have been very helpful to find advanced machining resources, discuss ideas and designs, as well as getting additional assistance for materials and testing.”
The program grew to other Penn State campuses and includes up to 15 to 20 other companies making the medical equipment and distributing it to the medical workers who need it.
“And even alumni are stepping up, that have for instance worked for the FDA and are providing legal and regulatory guidance for us,” says Simpson. “So sort of the power of Penn State … the network that has depth in all these areas of expertise is just phenomenal. … There is a lot of energy there to do something to fight this pandemic. So, to be able to channel that energy and direct it and to go all the way from an idea to a solution that gets fielded by a company to a hospital, it is just phenomenal to be a part of that.”
– Vincent Corso
Penn State professor Tim Simpson says his students “jumped at the opportunity” to help design PPE for the medical community.
‘Things Are Changing So Rapidly’
So much new information comes out every day about COVID-19 that it can be hard for anyone to keep up. For most, it is confusing and annoying because we all want to be safe and aware.
For doctors and other medical professionals, staying up to date is a matter of life and death; for them, their patients, and for the community as a whole.
Getting that information into the skilled hands of doctors, nurses, and medical technicians is one of the biggest challenges for Geisinger Health System, says Geisinger’s Centre County community medicine director, Dr. Amit Mehta.
“What we have learned in the last four weeks is way different than what we learned two months ago. And what we have learned in the last two weeks is way different than where we were three weeks ago,” says Mehta. “So, we are learning on a daily basis, on an hourly basis. Things are changing so rapidly; things I am telling you now might be different in a day.”
From the number of cases, the availability and types of testing, to information coming in from around the state, country, and world, along with internal guidelines, the response to COVID-19 continues to evolve.
“There is a lot to learn, a lot to update. And as you can imagine, with a health-care system with more than 30,000 employees, with more than 1,600 physicians and 800 advanced practitioners, there is a lot that needs to be put into place so that everybody is on the same page,” says Mehta. “And that is a monumental task, and it is important that you do this so that every patient will get the direct message, which is evidence-based treatment.
“What to do in isolation, what to do in quarantine, things like that. What are the treatment options available and how can you prevent the spread of infection? That is important, because me and you alone, physicians alone, cannot prevent the spread of this; we have to do this all together. It is a community effort and if everybody plays their role, we will get through this.”
From daily updates to town hall-style meetings on Skype that keep the whole team up to date, the admin team is working to keep everyone informed.
“I have never seen a team work so closely together in my lifetime as a physician, as I am seeing it now,” says Mehta. “What I am seeing is an amazing effort from our leadership in Geisinger to educate the operations team, educate the front desk, educate the nurses, the physicians.”
A big change for doctors has been seeing patients over tele-video meetings instead of bringing them in and potentially exposing them to the virus. Mehta says this is something that will continue after the pandemic subsides.
Doctors and other medical professionals are going through the same emotional and physiological experience as the rest of the community in isolation, but are also faced with putting themselves in front of patients who are sick.
But they continue to serve.
“Nobody is trying to hide away or run away from responsibilities,” Mehta says. “We are all really trying to help the communities that we actually live in. … Everybody is ready to jump in and do what is needed.”
Doctors and nurses also face the fact that they may be redeployed to another part of the region that needs more support.
“Whether COVID-19 is there or not, patients’ health needs are still there, and we have to provide for the health-care needs,” says Mehta.
The broader community has been extremely supportive of medical professionals, including the donation of masks and meals, he says. And patients are turning the tables during phone and video appointments, asking doctors how they are doing.
“This is really helpful psychologically to everyone who works in the health-care system, because it shows the support that the community feels for people in my fields,” says Mehta. “The support, I can’t even put into words. I just want to say thank you from the whole medical community for everything they are doing to help us.”
Mehta himself has treated one patient who tested positive for COVID-19, who showed some early symptoms. All precautions were taken by the medical team and the patient is on the road to recovery.
“I feel good that the patient is feeling better, but I do not think we are out of it; we are going to see a lot more of this,” says Mehta.
There have been employees in the Geisinger system who have tested positive for COVID-19.
“We might be health-care providers, but we are also human and we are exposed to all this infection,” he says.
It is a concern that is all too real for medical professionals. What if they get sick? What if they bring something home to their families? Some doctors who are working in hospitals with COVID-19 patients choose to stay in hotels away from their families.
“I am definitely concerned that I might expose my family, my children, my wife, to this infection,” Mehta says.
If he were to get sick, quarantining himself would be the top priority. But he continues to put himself in harm’s way to help patients, just like so many in the medical field.
“It is the oath we take as physicians, and we have to abide by it and stick by it,” Mehta says. “The most comfort we feel as physicians is when we are treating patients. It is that happiness and comfort that comes when you are helping people feel better and helping people in their time of need. Whether it is a pandemic or it is any other situation where health-care workers are needed, I don’t think any health-care worker would shy away from their duties.”
– Vincent Corso
Dr. Amit Mehta, Geisinger’s Centre County community medicine director.
‘We Will Have Graduation’
While he admits the transition to distance learning hasn’t been easy, Philipsburg-Osceola School District Superintendent Gregg Paladina is adamant about one thing: “One way or another, we will have graduation,” Paladina says. “The kids deserve that.”
Since the coronavirus mandates were put in place, and Governor Tom Wolf cancelled in-school classes for the remainder of the year, P-O has been working on enrichment and review instruction through Zoom meetings and paper packets.
“We’ve been putting out packets every two weeks for kids to do in K-8,” Paladina explains. “We deliver them through the bus routes.”
Paladina says teachers have been communicating with parents through email and phone, and about 90 percent of families have participated in the packet system.
“We also are starting an optional online academy for K-12 for those who are able to connect to the internet, either at home or through our Wi-Fi,” Paladina says.
The district estimates about 30 percent of families don’t have a reliable broadband connection, because they live in rural areas outside of town. Comcast is working to help. Among other initiatives, from March 13-May 13, Comcast has opened its Wi-Fi hotspots for anyone who signs in through the xfinity.com/wifi page.
“[Students] are always able to come to the schools to use our Wi-Fi, though I know that’s a challenge,” says Paladina. “The easiest way to do everything is distance learning, but our community just isn’t ready for that.”
Because not all students have internet at home, the online academy offered by the state Department of Education is optional for P-O students. High school students with internet access are continuing education through email and Zoom meetings at this point.
As of publication, Paladina said the plan was for a graduation ceremony to be held as originally scheduled.
“I’m sure there will have to be social-distancing and fewer people attending – probably a limited guest list – but we are planning to have a graduation ceremony one way or another,” he says.
Paladina says the district is also working to figure out a plan for prom.
“Graduation is really the most important thing, but kids look forward to prom, and it is a rite of passage,” Paladina says. “We can’t have it right now, and who knows when we can have it. I’m not opposed to having it later, but it’s kind of a wait-and-see thing right now.”
In the meantime, Paladina says teachers have been reaching out to students who are close to failure for remediation, so they can graduate on time.
“We’re going to do the best we can and reach as many students as we can, and then the first part of next year is obviously going to be review, and we’re going to work with our teachers on that,” Paladina says.
– Teresa Mull
Philipsburg-Osceola School District Superintendent Gregg Paladina