Above, technicians from Norwalk Hospital roll away NCC’s ventilators to transport to the hospital.
NCC Foundation Executive Director Carrie Bernier and NCC CEO Cheryl DeVonish responded quickly to the COVID-19 crisis by coordinating the transfer of urgently needed equipment to Norwalk Hospital. NCC has loaned its three ventilators as Norwalk Hospital was in dire need for such equipment. The particular models of ventilators donated were originally selected so that NCC students could train on the same equipment used by area hospitals. This means Norwalk Hospital staff will be familiar with the donated equipment and it can be put to immediate use in treating COVID-19 patients.
NCC was fortunate to have up-to-date technology on hand due to the generosity of the National Emphysema Foundation. The late Dr. Sreedhar Nair was a founder of the National Emphysema Foundation, former Chief of Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care at Norwalk Hospital, Former Clinical professor of Medicine at Yale University, and a decades-long supporter of the Norwalk Community College Respiratory Care Program. He initiated a long-standing relationship between NCC and Norwalk Hospital. His legacy continues through the generosity of the National Emphysema Foundation.
“Our program has benefited greatly from the support of the NCC Foundation and the National Emphysema Foundation, as ventilators and related equipment for training students are extremely expensive. But as we see now, registered respiratory therapists are a vital part of the health care team and we are glad our department is able to help in any way we can,” said Maria Grayson, Program Director of Respiratory Care in NCC’s Nursing and Allied Health Division.
