Jasper Engines donation one more example of support for Memorial Hospital

While the local hospital and medical workers maintain a frontline against an invisible enemy, some local businesses have stepped up to fill a need for the ongoing battle.

Tuesday, Jasper Engines and Transmissions delivered 10,000 level 2 surgical masks to Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center. Available staff members from several departments in the hospital met the delivery outside with rounds of applause.

According to Memorial Hospital CEO Kyle Bennett, Jasper Engines’ CEO Doug Bawel contacted him to find out how Jasper Engines could help the hospital.

“Certainly, during this time, our usage of PPE (personal protective equipment) has gone up,” Bennett said.

He communicated those needs to Bawel, who, over several weeks, went through a difficult process of finding the masks.

“They (masks and PPE in general) aren’t necessarily easy to come by,” Bennett said.

He explained that the hospital is continuously seeking PPE to maintain supplies. A difficulty that has cropped up for the hospital is the increasing preponderance of counterfeit PPE. Bennett says the hospital tests the PPE as it comes in.

“This is an excellent example of how the community continues to support Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center,” Bennett said through a handmade cloth mask that had been donated to the hospital. “We are thankful for that. We are thankful for those communities we serve. We are thankful for our staff and the compassion they reflect and their willingness to care for each patient that comes through the door.”

The hospital serves an eight-county area that includes Dubois, Pike, Daviess, Martin, Crawford, Perry, Spencer, and Orange counties.

Communications director Melanie Powell pointed out that Jasper Engines’ donation was awesome, but all the contributions large and small, from sewing clubs and individuals in the community, have been so crucial to the hospital as well.

“Those little acts of kindness mean a great deal,” Bennett added.

Bennett also took a moment to comment on the necessary work in the community in regards to the coronavirus pandemic.

Although the state has begun to loosen some of the restrictions for businesses and hospitals, Bennett pointed out the virus is still a concern.
“We don’t want to discount the continued need for social distancing and for (residents) taking caring of themselves and their families and self-isolating,” he said. “That has been a key to controlling this in our area, I believe. That is a real concern as we continue to be diligent about our environment and the health of our communities.”

Powell also took a moment to remind residents that although the coronavirus is a concern in the community, the hospital is being diligent about procedures to separate potential cases from the other necessary procedures and services in the hospital.

“The concern we have is that people are waiting longer to get the care they truly need,” she said. “It is important that the public knows we are maintaining safe spaces in the hospital.”

When asked about the forecast peak for the virus in the area, Bennett explained that assumptions on the virus have been difficult to nail down.

“As we have gone through this process, the environment has been very fluid as things change in the state, in our community and even nationally,” he said. “We stay connected to many outside organizations for information and don’t make decisions in a vacuum. We are really taking this maybe a week at a time and shorter stints so we can respond appropriately. Our primary concern as we go through this time is that our patients are safe and that our workforce is safe.”