pelika Observer O
Wednesday, April 08, 2020
Vol. 12, No. 27
Egg Hunt 2020
“By local people, for local people.”
Opelika, Alabama
Happy Easter
Hidden among the pages of this week’s paper are black and white Easter eggs. Comment how many you find on our Facebook post for a chance to win a gift from us.
AU Engineers join COVID-19 fight Special to the Opelika Observer
A team of Auburn engineers have developed a way to quickly and inexpensively convert CPAP machines into ventilators, one of the most important tools hospitals have for helping COVID-19 patients. Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machines are commonly used to help people with obstructive sleep apnea breathe more easily during sleep. The Auburn design, called RE-INVENT, is an accessory that would safely repurpose a CPAP into a functional ventilator. Ventilators are in short supply at hospitals across the nation as the number of patients requiring respiratory assistance due
to COVID-19 rises. Tom Burch and Michael Zabala, faculty in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Hayden Burch, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, initiated the project. Additional engineering faculty and alumni helped refine the mechanical design, control system, user interface and alarms. Critical respiratory care medical professionals contributed to the design of RE-INVENT. “What started as pure intellectual curiosity quickly grew into an emotional race against time to potentially save lives,” said Zabala, an assistant professor. “We wanted to know if we could design a solution to solve the ventilator short-
age problem.” The RE-INVENT team focused on a design that would reliably ventilate a patient for an extended period. They also considered affordability and ease of manufacture given the urgent, national need for ventilators. The device can be assembled in as little as four hours using approximately $700 in readily available component parts in addition to a standard CPAP machine. A ventilator typical in many hospitals costs as much as $25,000, often more. “I use a CPAP machine, and it does 90% of what a ventilator does,” said Burch, who initially proposed incorporating continuous positive airway pressure into the
Photo submitted to the Opelika Observer
See Fight, page A3
Local group looks to support healthcare workers, affected local businesses
Local residents participate in ‘Park and Pray’ at EAMC
Special to the Opelika Observer
By Natalie Anderson Staff Reporter
Jesus Gestures is a local group that has sprung up in the last few weeks in response to the economic and healthcare impact that has been experienced by COVID-19. The organization is the brainchild of Trinchua Dukes and Cindy Grantham and serves as a way to show Jesus’ love to those in the
In the midst of COVID-19, Lee County residents remain united and are coming together (while practicing social distancing) to spread love by showing their support for hospital workers by participating in “Park and Pray.” During shift change, which is 7 in the morning and 7 See Pray, page A3
See Cares, page A3
Photo submitted to the Opelika Observer
Index
OPINION.....................................A4 SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY..............A9 RELIGION..............................A11 CALENDAR..................................A13
COMICS....................................A14 SPORTS..................................B1 PUBLIC NOTICES............................B5 POLITICS...................................B7
Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer
Observer.com pelika O
Alabama Statewide COVID-19 statistics: 2,063 cases / 39 deaths | 121 in Lee Co. / 2 deaths