NAPA (CBS SF) — Napa Valley College is among California community colleges around the state to donate ventilators to hospitals during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, a school spokeswoman said.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services picked up eight ventilators from Napa Valley College and six from Modesto Junior College Tuesday, Napa Valley College spokeswoman Holly Dawson said.
Earlier this week, the governor’s office announced that California sent 500 state-owned ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile to help New York and other states that are in immediate need for the devices due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Napa Valley College was the pickup site for the two community colleges, and it is among 18 in California that have respiratory care and other programs that use ventilators, Dawson said.
Among the college’s five Health Occupation programs is a four-semester associate degree program in nursing with 72 current students and an associate degree program in respiratory care for registered respiratory therapists with 49 students. Some of the students in the five programs were already working in health care facilities before the pandemic, Dawson said.
“Napa Valley College is dedicated to ensuring that we do everything possible to help our community during this crisis, including continuing to educate future health care professionals,” Napa Valley College superintendent and president Dr. Ron Kraft said.
“We are grateful to be able to play a part in fighting this pandemic, along with our colleagues in the California Community College system by providing equipment that can help save lives,” Kraft said.
Robert Harris, senior dean of the Health & Safety Programs said, “We are proud to be able to do our part to assist in any way we can.”
