Campus News

Great Falls College health science programs doing what they can to support local providers

Surgical Technology director Daisy Gibson gives instruction to students in the college's simulated hospital. Since Daisy is unable to hold labs, she is donating surgical masks to local health community.

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The surgical technology and respiratory therapy programs at Great Falls College MSU are looking to give back to the medical community that has given so much to them.

Brian Cayko (pronounced like the movie "Psycho"), a respiratory therapy faculty member, said it is the duty of the college to not only provide equipment but for medically credentialed faculty members to be ready to help out if it becomes necessary.

"Hopefully, it does not come to that, and it's never needed," he said as the nation responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Benefis Health System and the Great Falls Clinic reached out about the ventilators the college has in its simulated hospital, Cayko didn't hesitate and provided Benefis with two that are exactly like the ones already in use at the hospital. The college has others it is willing to provide, but Benefis staff members would have to get up to speed on the maintenance and operation of those.

"Benefis has been a partner with the respiratory program at the college for 35-plus years," Cayko said. "What we're doing is a small thing, just filling out some forms so that Benefis can use them. They are doing a lot of work and expense to get them to be patient-ready."

The college doesn't keep its ventilators up to patient-care standards since they are not being used on humans in the simulated hospital, explained Cayko, adding this results in significant cost savings to the college that it is able to pass on to students. He added Great Falls College loaned the ventilators to Benefis because it has an ICU and the Clinic doesn't. "The Clinic is a great partner, and when they reached out, they just wanted to be sure that they went to the medical community if the need arises."

Cayko also stressed that credentialed respiratory therapists and other medical professionals who are retired or are, like him, not working at the bedside anymore, can sign up at the FEMA site to be called into action should it become necessary.

"It's our duty as medically trained professionals," he said.

The crisis in places like New York and Washington state have highlighted the need for respiratory therapists as they are the ones who hook patients up to the ventilators and monitor them around the clock. Cayko appreciates the doctors and nurses who are working so hard on the front lines, but he said it's been frustrating not to hear concern about the respiratory therapists.

"RTs are the only didactically and clinically trained and competency-tested health care professionals to provide high-quality, cost-effective and patient-centric care," he said, adding there's a national shortage of respiratory therapists.

Daisy Gibson, director of the surgical technology program at Great Falls College, said she is going to donate boxes of surgical-grade masks to the local health care community since she can't hold labs on campus.

She said it doesn't make any sense to have masks sitting unused on shelves at the college when the nation is facing a supply crisis as it fights COVID-19.

"We don't get to use our masks as campuses are closing down, and so we have all of these masks sitting on shelves that I am going to donate to our health care communities here in Great Falls," Gibson said. "They have donated so much to our surgical tech program and other health care programs here at the college, I figure it's the least I can do."

Montana had its first COVID-19 death on Thursday. Across the world, health care workers are short of masks and other personal protective equipment and many are coming down with coronavirus.

After Montana Gov. Steve Bullock issued a stay-at-home order that began at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Great Falls College will not be able to hold labs for the foreseeable future, so Gibson doesn't need the masks.

Programs such as surgical technology will continue with the classroom portion of their instruction and issue incompletes until students can gather and demonstrate the skills required to pass the labs.

Gibson said it's been gratifying seeing the way the community has rallied around health care workers, with many sewing masks and others, including the Weaver Library at Great Falls College, using 3D printers to manufacture masks that can be washed and disinfected.

The Great Falls Clinic is accepting the dozen masks the library was able to manufacture before campus closed Friday afternoon to comply with Bullock's stay-at-home order.

Gibson said the masks she is donating are surgical grade, so "so they have a higher filtration than normal masks."

Contact:

Scott Thompson, Great Falls College marketing and communications director, 406-771-4314, scott.thompson@gfcmsu.edu