CovCare Spotlight: University of South Alabama

As students, teachers, and faculty prepare return to campus in Mobile for the upcoming 2020-21 school year in August, CovCare has helped provide Facemasks & Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the University of South Alabama to ensure a safe and sound return to campus for all Jaguars.

There are countless examples of hospitals, care centers, retirement homes, and essential businesses all being hit hard during the Coronavirus pandemic, yet there is another area that COVID-19 impacted and caused confusion: higher education. 

Across the United States, colleges and universities were thrown into deep and uncertain waters as they were forced to pivot to online-only courses and were tasked with safely protecting their extensive staff of administrators, professors, and counselors on campus upon an eventual return to school. It’s a big reason why CovCare jumped at the opportunity to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the way of face masks for the University of South Alabama and their staff members. 

Founded in 1963 and home to more than 14,000 students with more than 100 academic programs, CovCare anxiously awaits for the re-opening of the University of South Alabama in Mobile with the 2019-20 school year officially in the books and the school focused on overcoming this world-wide health crises within higher education. On May 1, the University of South Alabama announced plans to reopen its campus and resume in-person classes and residential student-living for the Fall 2020 semester.

“The most important step in reopening is to ensure that we can conduct classes and activities in a safe manner,” the University of South Alabama President Tony Waldrop announced.

“There is always the possibility that the evolving health risks or other circumstances associated with COVID-19 may require that we change our plans, but we are laying the groundwork for reopening.”

The University of South Alabama is just one of the higher education programs who have teamed-up with CovCare in addition to hospitals and organizations like Steward Health Care System, Sentara Healthcare, and the United States of America Department of Defense, to name a few.

That groundwork is on solid footing thus far. The University of South Alabama transitioned to limited on-campus operations and online instruction back in March and is continuing online classes this Summer. The University formed a task force dedicated to working through several logistical issues associated with reopening campus, ranging from health and safety, academics, athletics, and finance. 

“I’m very much looking forward to welcoming our faculty, staff and students back to campus this Fall,” Waldrop added. 

The University has already informed students, teachers, and faculty that masks will be required indoors and, when social distancing cannot be maintained, outdoors. Also, everyone returning to campus in the Fall will be screened, with classes scheduled to begin on August 17. To maintain health and safety standards, students refusing to wear masks will be considered in violation of the University's academic disruption policy. Students will not be required to physically attend any classes in the Fall, with courses designed to be taken online. The University of South Alabama has also announced plans for student-athletes to return to campus over the next month, beginning with a group of 75 football student-athletes who tested negative for COVID-19 and can return to campus to begin practicing with safety precautions in place and wearing a mask a requirement at all times for all coaches and staff. 

CovCare is proud to help equip the University of South Alabama with PPE to ensure a safe and sound return to campus for all Jaguars over the Summer and with the 2020-21 school year getting underway in August.

Read more about CovCare working alongside a number of hospitals, care centers, colleges and universities, organizations, and companies big and small with donating and providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the Coronavirus pandemic…

CovCare Spotlight: Montefiore Medical Center

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