Tuesday, march 14 2020
For Immediate Release

Contact:
Jeff LaLiberte / [email protected] / 954-821-3986 

Keiser University Sarasota Donates PPE to Area Hospitals to Help Protect Healthcare Workers Facing COVID-19

Sarasota-area healthcare workers at three local hospitals will benefit from donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) made by Keiser University Sarasota. Nearly 7,000 pieces of protective equipment were recently donated to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Manatee Memorial Hospital, and Venice Regional Medical Center.

The donation included isolation gowns, surgical masks, and sterile and exam gloves donated from Keiser’s nursing and healthcare labs. The donations totaled about $700.

“When we learned of the PPE shortage facing frontline healthcare workers at our local hospitals, we immediately conducted an inventory of our PPE supply to see how Keiser University could assist,” said Michele Morgan, campus president at Keiser University Sarasota. “Our local hospitals are such a critical component of our students’ educational experience and we felt it was an absolute must to support our educational partners while also contributing to the PPE supply necessary to protect hospital employees.”

The equipment will be used to assist healthcare workers at the three sites respond to the growing COVID-19 epidemic. As of April 14, there were 21,091 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Florida including 230 in Sarasota County and 252 in Manatee County. Since the pandemic began, 77 people have been hospitalized for treatment of the COVID-19 disease in Sarasota County. As of April 5, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, the largest in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, was treating 34 COVID-19 patients.

About Keiser University:

Keiser University is a private, not-for-profit university, serving nearly 20,000 students and employing 3,800 faculty and staff members. Co-founded in 1977 by Chancellor Arthur Keiser, Ph.D., and Evelyn Keiser, the university currently offers more than 100 degrees at 21 Florida campuses, as well as online and at two international sites. Keiser University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges as a level VI institution to award certificates and degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctoral levels. For additional information regarding Keiser University, visit www.keiseruniversity.edu.

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