April 16, 2020 – Santa Fe College worked with the Florida National Guard to send 11 ventilators to south Florida to help patients suffering from COVID-19. Faculty in SF’s Health Science programs prepared the ventilators to be picked up by the National Guard and transported to the BB&T Center in Broward County where a makeshift hospital has been established. Broward County is one of the hardest hit counties in the state, accounting for roughly 15% of the total number of cases and fatalities from COVID-19 in the state.
On campus health science classes, and all other programs offered at SF moved online March 16 in order to protect students and staff from the spread of COVID-19. As a result, many medical devices and personal protective equipment (PPE) were not being actively used at the college. Health Science faculty members are now developing new methods of teaching mechanical ventilators through virtual means, training the next generation of first responders in the health care field.
As of Wednesday evening, the Florida Department of Health reported 22,519 cases of COVID-19 in the state.