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June 2020
Principia teacher, students create PPE ELSAH — After learning over spring break that people were using 3D printers to help remedy shortages of personal protective equipment, Dr. Marie Farson, assistant professor of earth science at Principia College in Elsah, invited students from earlier classes on 3D printing to join the effort. Four former 3D Printing students pitched in. Ian Armesy, a 2019 graduate, and two current students used printers they had made in class and then purchased. A fourth student built a second printer at home. Farson shared her design for a hands-free device (for pushing doors open, pressing elevator buttons, etc.), which senior Esteban Rojas Acuna printed. Junior Robbie Robison developed his own design for a hands-free device to push shopping carts and printed it. The goal for the devices is to calm fears about touching surfaces in
public areas. Farson and her daughter, Hanna — who had also taken the 3D printing class — kept four Jellybox 3D printers going, churning out face shields, mask-strap adjusters and hands-free devices. Some shields and mask-strap adjusters went to Cox Cottage (the campus Christian Science nursing center), the Facilities Department and Peace Haven, a St. Louis-area Christian Science nursing facility. Printed, sterilized face shields were taken to Alton Memorial Hospital and OSF St. Anthony’s Hospital, at the request of the Illinois PPE Network, which coordinates the manufacture of PPE by organizations and individuals and distributes them to healthcare facilities facing shortages. In addition, hands-free devices were delivered to local senior living facilities, including Asbury Village in Godfrey.
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Cahokia Fire assistant chief ‘puts his community first’ Charles Bolinger charles.bolinger@edwpub.net CAHOKIA — Like a lot of people his age, the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks inspired Ryan Ahlemeyer to become a firefighter. “I was in high school at that time,” he recalled. “I joined the fire service a year after graduation, when I was 19.” A Cahokia native, Ahlemeyer graduated from Cahokia High School in 2003; he graduated from McKendree University in 2008 then again in 2010. For the past 16 years, Ahlemeyer, 34, has worked for the Cahokia Fire Protection District, where he’s served as a lieutenant and a captain. He was promoted to assistant chief in January 2019. He also worked as a firefighter at the St. Louis Downtown Airport as a part-time firefighter in 2015 for about 18 months. “I was very honored,” Ahlemeyer said of his recent promotion, though he noted he is a board member and a chief fire inspector for Cahokia as well. He’ll start his 17th year there this summer. Ahlemeyer’s girlfriend, Kristen Schmidt, nominated him for
Photo: Courtesy Of Dinnius Photography
Heroes Unmasked. “He’s always putting his community first and is an amazing assistant chief,” she wrote. “He works his butt off for everything he has,” she added. Ahlemeyer said the pandemic has forced a change in his work habits and practices. “We have to follow the state’s guidelines – limit contact, social distance, wear N-95 masks and practice better hygiene,” he said. He added that training school is different, too, with large groups forbidden. “One of my best experiences is when people recognize me when I’m out of uniform. I can be out somewhere and someone will approach me and say, ‘Hey, you’re that fireman who came to my house and changed the batteries in my smoke detector,’ or ‘You’re the firefighter who came to my school and taught us how to get out of a building safely.” Ahlemeyer said he hopes that he not only taught residents some basic life-saving skills but they pass those skills on to people they know – their children, friends, neighbors, etc. “It’s the biggest reward that people recognize the good that you’re doing,” he said. “If I could go all year without having to go to someone’s house for a fire, that would be perfect for me.”
Photo: Courtesy Of Ryan Ahlemeyer
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June 2020
Duke Bakery adapts for window, curbside pick-up Sanford J. Schmidt sschmidt@thetelegraph.com ALTON — The city’s landmark baker has taken a step to keep customers feeling safe, but satisfied. “The coronavirus and shelter-in-place order has us all adapting the way we do business, whether we like it or not. That said, beginning this morning we are moving to window service and curbside pick up only,” the bakery’s Facebook page stated. Duke Bakery owner Ben Hollis said that, even though the store is allowed to wait on customers inside, he decided to relieve the anxiety of workers and customers by cleaning out a former storage area for walk-up services at 819 Henry St., Alton. “We needed to do something to make people feel better. They can be outside and not cramped up inside,” Hollis said. He said a piece of Plexiglas was set up over a door to provide a product display. The walk-up service was fairly simple to build, he said. In the Granite City store, 3202 Nameoki Road, they framed up an 8-foot-by-8-foot area for customers to visit while avoiding close contact. “For our Alton location, we have set up a temporary ‘showroom’ in an area we’ve used for rack storage. We have made it possible to see a majority of our product in this temporary location. Simply look for the red awning to the right of our main entrance and walk up to the window to place your order,” the Facebook page noted. “Call for (618) 462-2922 for curbside pick up. If you get a busy signal when calling, please bear with us and try again in a couple minutes. We only have one phone line and are experiencing a huge increase in the volume of calls we receive. Most of our calls last just a couple minutes. We are adding another phone to help with the volume of calls we are receiving.” Alton temporary hours are 6 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. At the Granite City location, for curbside pick up, call 618-877-9500. Temporary hours are 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Due to generous donors, milk and donuts for kids in need, age 18 and younger, will still be available, but must now be asked for at the pick up window.
Duke Bakery’s Nina Womack, left, and co-worker Josie Zigrang hold up Duke Bakery packaged homemade baked goods at its Alton location’s newly installed drive-up window, at 819 Henry St., built to accommodate window service and curbside pick up for customers, while the Metro East landmark baker takes precautions during the coronavirus pandemic. Duke Bakery offers the same type of service at its Granite City location, 3202 Nameoki Road.
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Family fuels Huber’s COVID-19 concerns Sanford J. Schmidt sschmidt@thetelegraph.com
EDWARDSVILLE — Derek Huber, 50, has been a firefighter, paramedic and emergency medical technician for 20 years. But but Edwardsville Fire Department firefighter/paramedic uses extra precautions when the ambulance is called out to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19. “I have to protect myself to make sure I don’t take it home to my family,” said Huber, who has a wife and a a child at home. Huber said he puts on a gown, gloves, an N-95 face mask and a face
shield for work, taking as little risk as possible of contracting the virus. “You’re in close contact, so you have to use precautions,” he said. He said suspected COVID-19 patients are treated the same as confirmed cases. The suspected cases have the usual symptoms of shortness and fever, he said. Huber said he is not as nervous as some other people may be when performing a service on a COVID-19 patient, but there have been certain challenges over the past eight weeks or so. “There have been huge changes in the type of personal protective equipment we have had available,” he said. “It has been helter-skelter.”
More Information For example, Huber said that, at first, fire fighters were asked to wear N-95 face masks. But then the supply ran short and they were told to wear surgical masks. Then the N-95 variety became available again, so they switched back. In addition to being a paramedic, Huber teaches classes to other first-responders and is the infectious disease coordinator for the department. “I’m the one who gets contacted if anyone is exposed to any kind of pathogen,” he said.
Edwardsville Fire Department paramedic Derek Huber checks equipment in his ambulance near the start of a shift. Huber also is a firefightrer for the department and its infectious disease coordinator.
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During novel coronavirus pandemic, psychiatrist suggests ‘social media distancing’ to cope Sanford J. Schmidt sschmidt@thetelegraph.com ALTON — Isolation and anxiety related to the coronavirus is bad for emotional health, and continual exposure to the subject can make it worse, psychiatrist Dr. John Paruch said.
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“Information about the virus is as contagious as the virus,” said Paruch, with Christian Hospital Northeast, in St. Louis’ North County and part BJC HealthCare, the same system that includes Alton Memorial Hospital. “We are practicing social distancing, but, in my opinion, we should practice social media distancing,” he noted. “We have to be smart about how we handle it,” he said. “We don’t want to panic, but we are in lowgrade mode all the time.” People should keep up with the facts that they need to know, he said, but do not need to be reminded every minute about the numbers of ill people and deaths from the novel coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19. He said people might feel continually anxious because they don’t know whether to go to a store, a doctor’s appointment or stay home. “It’s hard to tell where the reality ends and the anxiety begins,” Paruch explained. “The anxiety is a result of a drastic change in routine, such as social distancing. Our routines are all gone and people are nervous.” Paruch said people are being asked to adapt to a new environment, which can induce stress. People are having to learn new ways of doing their jobs, if they still have jobs, he said. They must adapt to new ways of doing things at a distance, instead of dealing with people face-to-face. That goes for doctors, too, he said. As a psychiatrist, Paruch now sees patients by electronic means
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versus in person. But, on the positive side, he’s able to see patients in their usual home environment, which can be beneficial for the future, he said. Paruch encourages people to learn new and different ways of doing things, he said, instead of the “I-can’t-do-this” reaction. Lack of a definite endpoint, like, sheltering in place, such as “two weeks,” also adds stress to an already anxious situation. Paruch said people should take care of themselves in order to avoid the worst effects of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the first concerns is to get enough sleep. He suggested a definite time to go to bed and a definite time to get up. People should understand that enough sleep is vital to good health and well-being, he said. Lack of sleep also can lead to insulin resistance, which can lead to carbohydrate cravings, he said. He also urged physical activity, even at a time when people can’t go to the gym. There are online exercise applications, as
Paruch
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emotional trauma can last well past the pandemic itself, he said. People afflicted with emotional disorders and mental health issues are subject to regress, he said. People who managed to overcome drug and alcohol addiction can be prone to relapse. BJC HealthCare also is taking steps to keep its staff in good emotional health, explained Russell Hoffmann, vice president for the BJC Institute for Education and Development, which promotes the health and well being of its staff so that they, in turn, can do the same for patients. The institute offers tips for practicing “gratitude,” or expressing appreciation for those within one’s environment. BJC personnel also are urged to keep personal distance, while staying socially connected. Hoffman said hospitals’ staff members are encouraged to practice the same self-care habits that Paruch recommended — good sleep, good nutrition, exercise and sticking to a routine.
well as alternate modes of exercise. “There are a lot of resources online,” he said. Meditation also is a good antidote to stress and anxiety, Paruch noted. He recommended the website www.headspace.com, which offers different meditation routines. He said people age 70 and older with pre-existing health conditions are not only more prone to the novel virus, but also more likely to suffer from isolation. This demographic should learn to stay connected with others, he said, by telephone or even if through the internet by electronic means. He also said people should be aware of the long-term effects of isolation and stress. The effects of the
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June 2020
HEROES UNMASKED: Lewis finds a way to help Student uses 3D printer to produce free masks for medical personnel
Scott Marion smarion@hearst.com EDWARDSVILLE — Sam Lewis has a new stay-at-home project during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it could be a lifesaver for the people he is serving. Lewis, a senior at Edwardsville High School, is making 3D printed masks to be given away free to medical personnel in the Edwardsville area. He came up with the idea after noticing a shortage of medical supplies, especially masks. Lewis launched The Mask Project Edwardsville on March 26, and on April 1, he created a GoFundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/f/ themaskprojectedw?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet) to help raise money to produce the masks. A donation of $8 funds the production of two masks. “A friend of mine named AJ Apone started a similar thing (The Mask Initiative) in California, where they were hit a lot harder (by the coronavirus) than our area was,” Lewis said. “At the time, I was looking for a way to help people with and I realized it was possible to do this here. “Hopefully, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something cool.” The response to The Mask Project Edwardsville has been encouraging, both from donors and from the medical personnel who have received the masks. As of Monday, the GoFundMe page had raised $1,600 of Lewis’ goal of $3,000, but other cash donations have boosted the total to approximately $2,200. More Information “To make the masks, you need a 3D printer and some filament, and you need a process in place to keep everything sanitized,” Lewis said. “The main thing for me starting out was making sure I had a nice clean area to work and getting the printer set up. “Once the masks started produced, we found some filters that would work, so we put the filters in and found different ways to attach them. We had some orders to fill right off the bat and then we started reaching out to different places. We talked to a lot of local nursing homes and filled a lot of orders for them.” The masks are not medical grade, but are effective, nonetheless. Every mask is 3D printed using PLA plastic filament. After printing, each mask is sprayed with a disinfectant to increase the cleanliness of the mask. Next, the first filter is inserted into the mask. Once the first filter is placed in the mask, the over-ear straps, along with the comfort clip, are attached.
Sam Lewis makes a mask using his 3D printer. Thanks to donations, the masks are given away to local medical professionals as part of The Mask Project Edwardsville.
Each mask is sprayed for a second time with a disinfectant. The masks come with one filter and six filter replacements and are enclosed in a vacuum-sealed package. Each package also contains a sheet regarding how to replace the filter along with general care suggestions. The filters are rated to protect against dust/lint, mold spores, pollen, pet dander, bacteria, virus carriers, most smoke, and microscopic
allergens. “You see a lot of people wearing bandanas or home-sewn masks and they work great, but this is an alternative to wearing the same mask every day,” said Lewis, who is sometimes assisted by his father, Jeff Lewis. “The filters we use are rated to last a month, and I recommend, based on use, that they are changed out every two weeks.”
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As of Monday, Lewis had produced 313 masks. “We can print nine shells a day, but I would like to be able to up that in the coming weeks,” Lewis said. “We’re running as a non-profit, so all the money we get goes toward the masks.” After Lewis makes the masks, he personally delivers them to nursing homes, doctors, medical workers, and anyone else in the community who needs one. “It’s great to be able to go and drop these masks off to different places. It makes them feel happy and it makes them feel safe,” Lewis said. “A lot of people have really been grateful. I’ve delivered some masks to The Cambridge House (an assisted living facility in Maryville) and everyone there has been extremely nice. They even sent some thank-you emails afterward, so it was great working with them as well.” Lewis plans to attend the University of Alabama at Huntsville, where he will major in electrical engineering with a minor in entrepreneurship. Lewis received a 3D printer for Christmas and has been experimenting with it ever since. He is a member of the Edwardsville Technologies Robotics Team, which is part of a larger Edwardsville Robotics Club, a local 501c3 nonprofit offered to students between 9 and 18 years old. “It opened me up to a lot of different fields and a
Heroes Unmasked
lot of the things you can do with 3D printing,” Lewis said. “I’ve fallen in love with 3D printing and I would like to be able to start a 3D design business. It’s a huge market and a lot of people have ideas, so it would be a way to go those ideas out there really fast.” Lewis has another business, Okeanos Bottle Company (https://www.okeanosbottle.com), which makes hydro dipped reusable water bottles, with 10 percent of the water bottle proceeds go to The Thirst Project to build sustainable water sources in Africa. “I’ve been doing that for about a year and a half and it’s been going really well,” said Lewis, who is also part of the Edwardsville CEO Program and the EHS Business Professionals of America (BPA) Club. “We just made some EHS edition bottles as well to support the seniors.” If you see Lewis out in public, he will be wearing one of his masks. He encourages everyone to wear a mask, regardless of the type. “I’ve gone out to the story only a few times and I try to stay home as much as I can,” Lewis said. “I see some people who don’t wear masks, but I think it’s crucial to wear a mask and have that shield so you can be a bit safer.”
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June 2020
Volunteers craft 500-plus surgical caps Jeanie Stephens jeanie.stephens@thetelegraph.com ALTON — At a time when those with sewing skills have gone to work making cloth masks for residents and medical staff seeking protection from the rapidly spreading coronavirus, one woman started out making surgical caps. Lillian Bates of By Design in Alton, along with a team of over 70 volunteers, has drafted and stitched over 500 surgical caps for local hospitals since March when she was first made aware that there was a need. “The surgical caps cover all of your hair and it’s basically a chef’s hat,” said Bates, who was first approached by Alton attorney John Simmons and OSF Saint Anthony Health Center’s President Ajay Pathak.
Photo: Jeanie Stephens |The Telegraph
“They had always used that blue papery fiber stuff and then threw it away. But we can’t do that right now,” said Bates. “So, he (Simmons) brought me a cap and I took it apart and drafted it.” Once the project was shared on social media, it garnered a huge response from volunteers, many who had been making masks with no specific end. “The minute it got online, the women were just crawling out of the woodwork looking for something to do,” said Bates. “This was good because it was a very specific purpose.” Many of the volunteers were quilters who already had a good supply of cotton fabric, scraps and other materials. Bates said the work has been a chance for many participants to get creative. “Some of these volunteers have just done such fun work,” said Bates.
“Some of them are doing piping and decorative stitching. They’re having the best time with this. It’s just been fantastic.” Bates was able to provide each volunteer with a pattern and instructions for the project in addition to fabric to those who needed it. But she discovered a shortage of elastic in the market due to the overall increase in mask making. “The big caveat was elastic,” she said. “There was no elastic to be found on the entire planet at that particular point in time, since everybody was making masks and caps. At the beginning of this in March, anybody that ordered elastic on Amazon wasn’t going to get it until May. So, it was really strange.” Figuring out ways to work around the shortage, Bates was contacted by the radiology department at Alton Memorial Hospital, making 122 caps
0 June 2020 for staff there in addition to the 400 caps already made for Saint Anthony’s. Once the caps were delivered, requests for masks started rolling in from both locations. “Saint Anthony’s got back in touch with me again
Photo: Jeanie Stephens |The Telegraph
Heroes Unmasked
and said they really do need masks, but they needed something very specific and they even gave me the materials to do this with,” said Bates. “So I called a good friend of mine and we spent a couple of days and did them all. I’ve been sewing for almost 50
years; she’s been sewing for 55.” Unlike the 50 cloth masks Bates made for Alton Memorial, the 60 masks she made for Saint Anthony’s were designed for sterilization in an autoclave, which was not something she had ever done before. “These were things they could put in the autoclave and sterilize,” she explained, adding that the autoclave masks were often used in conjunction with cloth masks. “It’s been an education, that’s for sure.” Bates also continues to make masks for anyone else who needs them or asks. Although she donates
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much of what she makes to those in need, she also sells masks for $5 each to individuals who maybe don’t sew or find themselves without. “As quick as I can make them, people are calling me up and asking for them,” she said. “So, I just keep making them. In fact, I made a dozen last night. I’m making them in grey for the men and then I have a corral and white tie-die I’m making for the women.” For more information, or to contact Lillian Bates of By Design, visit facebook.com/lillianbydesign or lillianbydesign.com.
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June 2020
McMichael helps home dialysis patients Telehealth visits replace face-to-face visits Scott Marion scott.marion@edwpub.net EDWARDSVILLE — Shawna McMichael has made a career out of helping other people, and she and her medical team from Washington University are keeping it up during the COVID-19 pandemic. McMichael, an Edwardsville resident, is a nurse manager in the Division of Nephrology at Washington University School of Medicine. She oversees the daily operations of the largest academic home dialysis program in the nation. During the pandemic, she has helped create telehealth visits to replace face-to-face visits for home dialysis patients. “We cover a 130-mile radius and oversee patients’ care by training them to do dialysis at home,” McMichael said. “After they learn to do that, we see them on a monthly basis, so they will come to St. Louis and see their physician as well as a nurse, a dialysis tech, dietician and
a social worker. “These patients deal with chronic illness and dialysis is lifesaving. It can be scary, and our job is to make sure that we build their confidence up. We want to them feel better and be able to do dialysis in the comfort of their own home. We oversee their care until they do get a kidney transplant if that’s what their wish is.” When cases of coronavirus increased in Missouri and Illinois Photos: For The Intelligencer and both states issued stay-at-home orders, McMichael had to initiate and institute a rapid transition to telehealth visits. McMichael and her team are now using FaceTime and Zoom since they are approved means of communication under the recent changes in telehealth regulations. “Everybody’s life has been changed due to COVID-19 and the medical field is no different,” McMichael said. “We had to find a way to keep
our patients at home and safe while still delivering the same level of care. “For the most part, I think our patients were scared to leave the house. We connect with them once a month and all our patients have their nurses’ cell phone numbers. We’re always readily available for them, but it’s nice to connect with them on video and see how they are doing.” While the patients are no longer traveling to St. Louis for their monthly visits, McMichael feels that the telehealth sessions are still providing a personal touch. “We’re usually saying ‘hi’ to the family dog because we know the dog’s name at this point,” McMichael said. “We’re like family and they get to know us very well.” McMichael salutes her coworkers for providing the extra level of care. “My staff is amazing and some of them have done home dialysis for 40-plus years,” McMichael said. “We’ve all had to adapt to a new way of life and we’re all in this together and we’re going to get through this together.” McMichael and her husband, Ryan, are both Edwardsville natives and reside in Edwardsville with their sons, Max and Cooper. A 1997 Edwardsville High School graduate, McMichael earned an associate
Everyday, a new CHALLENGE presents itself, and a HERO emerges. Always REMEMBER you can be someone’s HERO.
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degree in nursing from Lewis and Clark Community College and earned a bachelor’s degree from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College in St. Louis. After being a labor and delivery nurse at Anderson Hospital, McMichael got into dialysis at Washington University in March 2003. “I fell in love with renal (nursing) and fell in love with the patients, plus the staff and the physicians at Washington University,” said McMichael, who has been in the home dialysis program since the fall of 2010. “The education that you get over here is phenomenal. “As a nurse, home dialysis is kind of the ideal job. You have the clinical aspect of taking care of patients, but you also have the education part of it. It’s the best of both worlds. You’re taking patients that are battling a chronic illness and giving them a life again.” Ryan McMichael, meanwhile, salutes his wife for her work as part of the home dialysis program. For her, he knows that it is more than a job. “She’s extremely good at what she does and very focused and dedicated,” said Ryan, who is director of creative services for an advertising agency in St. Louis. “In layman’s terms, she is working with people who can take care of their own dialysis from the comfort of their own home as opposed to doing it in-center three days a week for multiple hours at a time. “She has been instrumental in helping grow that program and earning the respect of her team of physicians to facilitate all those things. Her patients always speak very highly of her and she is willing to go above and beyond to meet their needs.”
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June 2020
Cox shows support for front-line units by gifting hand care items Scott Marion smarion@edwpub.net EDWARDSVILLE — These can be frightening times for hospital employees, especially those who are working with COVID-19 patients daily. But Shanyra Cox is doing her part to help those people feel a little safer. Cox has assembled and delivered a total of 109 care packages to the COVID-19 units at two area hospitals, including 51 to Christian Hospital — formerly known as Christian Northeast Hospital — in St. Louis and 58 to OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center in Alton. “We had some new neighbors move in in March, but we noticed that only the wife moved in,” said Cox, who teaches Spanish and technology at Woodland Elementary School and Columbus Elementary School. “She told me she was an ICU nurse on the COVID floor at Christian Northeast Hospital, and the rest of her family couldn’t move in because of the daily
Photo: For The Intelligencer
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exposure to the disease. “Just from talking to her about what she was seeing every day got me thinking about what I could do for these people who are putting their lives on the line for us. I knew that people are giving food and delivering lunches, so I tried to think of something different.” That was when Cox came up with the idea of the care packages. For every donation she receives for a package, she matches it with one of her own. “My goal was to make care packages for my neighbor at Christian Northeast, but one of my friends on my (Facebook) timeline said her daughter works as a nurse on the COVID floor at St. Anthony’s, so she asked if I would be willing to do the same thing for her hospital,” Cox said. The packages are specially designed for the needs of healthcare workers, who are washing their hands more than ever. “There is something called a Satin Hands set that has a hand scrub, a deep moisturizer and a regular lotion, so all three are included in every package,” Cox said. “There is also a little note
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0 June 2020 that thanks them for everything they do. “They’re not just going out to the nurses, but everyone who works on that floor, including the janitors, the food service workers and the receptionists.” The packages were delivered as an anonymous donation and did not have Cox’s name on them, but the feedback from her gifts has been gratifying. “A lot of nurses at St. Anthony’s have sent thank-you cards and my neighbor at Christian Northeast said they were very thankful as well,” Cox said. Cox recently finished her 19th year of teaching. She is also the Relay for Life team leader at Woodland Elementary School and is part of the
school’s annual Breakfast with Santa fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. For Cox, the care packages for hospitals are just another way to help people in need during the pandemic. “They always say it takes a village, so we all need to stick together,” Cox said. Cox assembles the care packages with the help of her husband, Perry Cox, and her sons, Javier de la Cruz, 16, and Cross Cox, 5. At this point, Cox doesn’t have more care packages to deliver, but she is looking for another project. She is still taking donations, and anyone interested in donating should contact her at scox@ ecusd7.org.
Heroes Unmasked
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Heroes Unmasked
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Teacher at East Elementary takes her lessons to special students online
Sanford J. Schmidt sschmidt@thetelegraph.com
GODFREY — Jen Herring of Godfrey is doing triple duty in these days of the coronavirus pandemic. She is a teacher, a technical advisor and a mother. Herring, a special education teacher, stays home and conducts classes with her students via computer and mail. She conducts classes in which most of her students are online, and they can raise their hands via a click
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of the mouse. She can see them on video and help them work through their problems. She also conducts classes through the Zoom meeting program. “We want to provide as much contact as possible,” she said. Herring said she uses Zoom three times a week and stays in contact via both e-mail and traditional mail. She and her students can exchange videos over the internet. “We find they are doing their work, as long as we are offering a variety of ways of contact,” she said. Herring teaches fifth grade, normally at East Elementary School. She teaches all subjects to 57 students who have a variety of learning disabilities. Special education requires a few extra tasks — such as filling out individual education plans and evaluations about the nature of students’ problems. She said she also works with an 8-year-old boy who is less likely to respond to her discipline than he is to respond to his own teacher. “He doesn’t want to work for me,” she said. She allows him to get on his Chrome book and deal with his own teacher. She is also a technical coach for other teachers and meets with a group of them via computer to help solve their technical problems. Through it all, she maintains a positive attitude. “I want to praise the school district,” she said. “They have been very on top of it. They put the students first and the teachers second.” She said district officials have allowed her students to take home their district-provided Chrome books. Her relatively high technical skills have also helped her adapt to online teaching. “I’m kind of unstressed,” she said.
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Heroes Unmasked
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Calhoun teacher creates face mask aids with 3-D printer Dylan Suttles dylansuttles@thetelegraph.com HARDIN — Right now, healthcare workers have to wear face masks everywhere. Thanks to Seth Grimes, the Industrial Technology teacher at Calhoun High School in Hardin, those face masks are becoming more comfortable to wear for many. Grimes is using the school’s 3-D printer to make face mask holders, an adjustable plastic strip that goes across the back of the head. His wife, Stacey, works at Jerseyville Community Hospital (JHC). She had seen
posts on Facebook about other people making face mask holders and she asked her husband if he could make them. Grimes said that nurses, doctors and all first responders have to wear surgical masks all day, with little rest and no time to take them off. “I thought it was a great idea to help them be a little more comfortable while they are working so hard,” he said. “I’ve seen pictures online of how they have been rubbed raw behind the ears and on their faces,” Grimes said. “I thought this would make things a little easier on them.” The original design came from a website called Thingiverse. The website includes photos of people who have been making face mask holders in their communities. The home page of the site includes other ideas designers are trying to create to help people during the coronavirus pandemic. “I have made a little over a hundred so far,” Grimes said. “As of right now I plan on making at least 220.” Grimes has made holders for the nursing home in Hardin, JCH Medical Group in Hardin, JCH in Jerseyville, a clinic in Chicago where a friend of his works and a hospital in Madison, Wisconsin where his brother works. “I plan to continue printing and giving them out to whomever needs or wants them,” Grimes said. To see where the original design came from, visit https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4249113.
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Calhoun High School Industrial Technology teacher Seth Grimes has used the school’s 3-D printer to create face mask holders. His wife, Stacey, who works at Jerseyville Community Hospital, suggested the project after seeing posts about such devices on Facebook.
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Heroes Unmasked
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Local veteran aims to aid first responders, business owners Tyler Pletsch Tyler.Pletsch@edwpub.net EDWARDSVILLE — Pride Restoration, a water, mold and fire restoration company owned and operated by Edwardsville residents Jim and Susan Seubert, is now turning its efforts to help businesses open up faster during the pandemic. One key factor for businesses to begin opening is sanitization and Jim Seubert said his company is well equipped to help local business owners and first responders. “We use electrolyzed water to disinfect surfaces and help provide this product to our first responders,” Seubert said. After 33 years in the restoration and sanitization business, the Air Force veteran has implemented this “better way” of sanitizing. It is called hydrolyze and Seubert claims it kills most germs in under two minutes where he says a normal sanitizer can take up to 10 minutes. According to Seubert, hydrolyzing is safe around food products, has virtually no scent and works well around those easily susceptible to cleaning products. “My wife has asthma and can’t be around most cleaning products because of the strength of smell, this she has no problem,” he
said. Hydrolyze disinfectant spray is used by his company, Pride Restoration, and has been received so well that he has a second business that is centered around getting the spray into the hands of anyone who needs it. A Better Way Distributing is how he is able to complete that mission. A Better Way has been working with area first responders to get prototypes into their hands in hopes of creating a business relationship. Seubert said the spray is being used to not only disinfect surfaces but that it can be used on face masks and shields. Seubert is looking to use his spray and restoration company to help local restaurants and offices and shops have a better reopening plan by working with them to be clean and stay clean. Anyone that is looking to get ahold of or learn more about the hydrolyze disinfectant spray, visit: abetterwaydistributing.com/ product/hydrolyze/ For business owners or homeowners that need the services of Pride Restoration, call 314-664-8844 or visit: priderestoration. com/ Pride Restoration is located in St. Louis but will travel and operate in the Metro-East area.
Photo: Courtesy Of Jim Seubert
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0 June 2020
Heroes Unmasked
Every call is a new test for Alton-area police during pandemic Sanford J. Schmidt sschmidt@thetelegraph.com ALTON — Alton Police Department patrolman John Wimmersberg is out on the front lines during the coronavirus outbreak. But his emphasis is on helping the medical community by sticking to the rules while keeping the larger community safe. “I think trying to assist the medical people is the most important point,” he said. Wimmersberg said he and his colleagues are doing their best to abide by the stay-at-home rules set by the state, while keeping the community safe. For example, if an officer makes a service call to a home, he or she may not enter the building as usual. Instead, they will talk to the person through a screen door while maintaining a safe distance. Like any other employed person, police are
minding the rules and staying home with the family when not on duty, Wimmersberg said. Alton Mayor Brant Walker has instructed the city’s police to use their own discretion when answering calls about people possibly violating the coronavirus protection orders. “We are trying to limit large gatherings,” Wimmersberg said. Police also are wearing protective gear to avoid spreading the virus and trying to stick by the rule to remain at least 6 feet away from others. “We will also make more of an effort to contact people by phone if we have to talk to them,” Wimmersberg said. “We are trying to stay as close as we can to the stay-at-home order as we can on our jobs.” He said that, so far, he and his colleagues have not been called on to respond to emergencies connected to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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East Alton woman creates more than 400 masks Jeanie Stephens jeanie.stephens@thetelegraph.com EAST ALTON — When sewing hobbyist Laura Blair first started making masks for nursing homes and medical staff, she had no idea that the project would develop into a full-fledged one-woman sewing operation. “I didn’t know how long I’d be doing it when I first started out,” said Blair, who lives in East Alton. “I just put the word out there that if anybody in the area needed a mask, I’d make them one. So, I didn’t know when I took that first bite that it was going to turn into a full meal.” Heading the call for cloth made masks due to nationwide shortages of personal protection equipment (PPE), Blair has made at least 438 cloth masks since she started the project just a few weeks ago. “At first, I didn’t believe that these masks were up to industry standards, but then I found out what the shortages were like for hospitals as far as PPE goes because the industry just wasn’t ready or prepared for this,” she said. “I’m still not sure when the industry is going to catch up. There’s still a call for the cloth masks.” Blair said nurses and medical staff wear the cloth masks over their standard issued surgical masks, extending the life of the surgical masks. This is important since many medical professionals are allotted just one surgical mask and aren’t able to change it between patients. The machine washable cloth masks can be switched out with each new patient a nurse or doctor treats. “I know I’ve made a lot for medical people (and) home hospice workers,” said Blair. “Sometimes, I just get a message that they’ve been referred by a friend because they work in the medical field. I’m sure you could throw a stone and hit a hospital that needs masks. ” Initially, Blair started by helping those in nursing homes after discovering that hospitals would get precedence over the supply of surgical masks, leaving the older and most vulnerable part of the population open to getting sick. Since then, she has made masks for just about anyone who’s asked for them, including about 76 masks for Senior Services Plus’ (SSP) Foster Grandparents Program. “I can’t thank Laura enough,” said Director Rose Glassbrenner. “She’s going beyond herself and she’s just really trying to help the community as a whole. It’s amazing and so appreciated. We’re not going to get through this without working together as a community and looking out for one another. She’s a superhero.” Initially working out of pocket, Blair burned up her old sewing machine soon after she started the project and had to purchase a new one. She also had to purchase dressmaking shears to be able to cut a lot of masks at once. “It’s kind of funny,” she said. “There’s these mask makers and a lot of them have worn out their sewing machines and had to get new ones.” With the aid of a friend who helped raise funds and community support of the project, Blair was able to purchase the new heavy duty machine and other supplies and continue her work. “I’m shocked by it,” she said. “People just started contacting me because they wanted to help. They just didn’t know how to sew, but were per-
0 June 2020
Heroes Unmasked fectly willing to support me so that I could do it.” Blair said her husband also helps with the masks’ internal wiring that enables the mask to fit over the bridge of the wearer’s nose. “What I’m observing with people making masks is that there is this grassroots movement with people getting out their sewing machines and dusting them off and making them,” said Blair. “Just taking care of things at a local level
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is what people end up doing.” Although she had an initial goal when she started, that’s been extended along with Governor Pritzker’s stay-athome order and she plans to continue making masks as long as there is a need. “I’m still doing it,” she said. “I gave myself a number of 500 to get to, just to pause and assess. I’m not done. I’m not done at 500 either.”
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Virus increases funeral home safety efforts Sanford J. Schmidt sschmidt@thetelegraph.com ALTON — Like essential workers throughout the Riverbend, funeral director Ralph Bowles and his staff at Gent Funeral Home in Alton have adjusted during the coronavirus pandemic. For example, some families are opting to have private burials with funeral services pending until it again becomes safe under the state order for gatherings of 10 or more people, which includes the pastor and funeral home staff. Bowles said that, in some cases, the home has been allowing 10 people at a time to enter to pay their respects. A thorough cleaning follows each group. Concerns about COVID-19 have forced staff members to take additional precautions as they go about their tasks, Bowles said. They must wear masks as they enter nursing homes and hospitals to transport bodies. They must also have their temperature taken before entering the facilities. “It has really affected the funeral home staff,” Bowles said. “We have reviewed our policy with regard to cleaning the funeral home and paying attention to personal hygiene,” he said. “After each service we are wiping down door handles and other areas with Clorox, and we have ceased serving coffee and other drinks in the funeral home.” Gent has also begun offering drive-up visitation in which family members sit in the lounge and well-wishers drive by a viewing window. The practice allows family participants to wave to family members at a safe distance through a window and perhaps leave flowers outside. “The reaction has all been positive,” Bowles said. He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has sent guidelines to funeral homes for protecting people during the embalming process. Bowles said they also have reviewed procedures for interacting with the general public.
In the first of its kind for the area, people on Thursday paid their last respects to Randy Garrett, 56, of Brighton with a drive-by visitation at Gent Funeral Home in Alton.
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