Chattanooga State sends ventilators to Erlanger for coronavirus patients
Through Chattanooga State Community College’s Respiratory Care program, the college has loaned eight ventilators and four Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices to Erlanger Health System to help with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
“I contacted the area sales representatives of the ventilator companies asking for permission to allow local hospitals to use our ventilators, which they approved,” said Katie Davidson, respiratory care program director at Chattanooga State, in a news release. “Since we are an educational institution we get a substantial discount on the equipment with the agreement that that equipment would not be used on real patients. This is to prevent an educational institution from profiting from the purchase.”
Davidson and Mark Knutsen, dean of nursing and allied health at Chattanooga State, connected with Terry Ellis, director of respiratory care at Erlanger, to learn about Erlanger’s equipment needs. As COVID-19 becomes more widespread, hospitals across the nation are expected to begin to run out of much-needed supplies and equipment.
Davidson said that many Chattanooga State graduates begin their careers at Erlanger and the college maintains a collaborative relationship with the hospital.