HumankindNOW donates necessary PPE to Nursing Department

Donation helps nursing students to continue their studies

By California State University, Bakersfield

October 13^th, 2020

HumankindNOW recently donated 1,200 KN95 and N95 masks to the Nursing Department at California State University, Bakersfield, so students can practice and hone their skills as future nurses in the community and beyond.

“Our CSUB Nursing Department is having severe issues with supplies for students. The two factors that affect this is our California budget shortfall, as well as our status as a nursing school when we order supplies. Hospitals and front-line agencies get preference over us, which is at it should be, and nursing schools fall to the bottom of the list,” said Krystal Ball, assistant professor and undergraduate simulation director.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s no secret that N95 and KN95 masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) have been harder to find. As such, it has also made it challenging for nursing students who need the same materials as those in the medical field.

“Eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a shortage of critical PPE in the supply chain, particularly in small businesses and underserved communities,” said Chi-Chao Chang, chairperson and CEO of HumankindNOW. “We are pleased to partner with CSUB‘s school of nursing to supply PPE to train the next generation of health care professionals.”

“Our current local situation requires that we provide our own PPE for students that attend clinicals at the hospitals so it does not put a burden on our local facilities to have enough PPE for staff,” said Ball.

Currently, there are 180 undergraduate BSN students, 60 RN-BSN students and 40 nurse practitioner graduate students and faculty.

“The donations from HumankindNOW will allow us to provide students and faculty with KN95’s for practice and N95’s for hospital care. This will help allow us to continue practicing at the local sites and keep our students and faculty safe, as well as the patient’s they serve,” Ball added.