Fanshawe joins the front line of Covid-19

Students, staff and faculty find innovative ways to offer assistance.

The Fanshawe College community stepped up in a big way when the COVID-19 pandemic hit our region in March 2020. As campuses closed their doors and programs moved to online delivery, students, staff and faculty found innovative ways to offer assistance during a time of uncertainty.

With health sciences programs deferred until the College reopens, personal protective equipment (PPE) from simulation labs such as gloves, masks, safety glasses, hand sanitizer and more was donated from both the London and Woodstock campuses to support local health care teams. PPE is vital for treating patients and these donations helped ensure the safety of our community.

Respiratory Therapy students in the third year of their program, and just a few weeks away from graduation, were granted their licenses early to allow them to join the front lines of care. As COVID-19 affects the respiratory system with some patients needing ventilation, skilled respiratory therapists were in high demand from the early stages of the outbreak. Fanshawe worked closely with the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario to grant early licenses to 43 students.

Faculty members from the Respiratory Therapy program also found a creative way to join the fight against COVID-19. They teamed up with engineers from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada and placed in the top nine in the Code Life Ventilator Challenge— an international competition to design a lowcost, easy-to-use medical ventilator to help patients affected by COVID-19.

Fanshawe is incredibly proud of all staff and students who are living out the College’s values by giving back to the community when it is needed most.