Adena Health System donates two beds to SSU's Respiratory Therapy Program
Amy France, Director of the Respiratory Therapy program at Shawnee State University, displays the two bed donations received from Adena Health Systems.
When two beds in Shawnee State’s Respiratory Therapy Program stopped working for good in the winter of 2023, program director Amy France hit the phones.
“I started to put the word out to our different clinical sites in the region asking if there were any used beds that they would be willing to part with and donate to us,” France said. That’s when Adena Health and Head of Respiratory Services Shawna Meredith answered the call.
“Adena came up big, and Shawna was very helpful in getting us in touch with someone. She didn't let it go until we were able to get confirmation that they had two beds in a warehouse that they could donate. She was like a little bulldog for us.”
Replacing hospital beds, as one can imagine, is not an easy or inexpensive task. The beds donated by Adena Health usually sell for over $5,000 each, and moving them into place takes a mix of strength and creativity.
“I simply must shout-out the guys at SSU Facilities too, who went above and beyond to get the old beds out and the new beds in,” France said. “It was much more difficult than we imagined. They had to turn them on their sides, use a special lift, and get them up flights of stairs. It was an ordeal. I definitely bought them doughnuts.”
Though pricey and unwieldy, working hospital beds are a crucial part of the Respiratory Therapy program at Shawnee State. Having up-to-date, working hospital equipment in classrooms and facilities allows students to get the hands-on experience they require before entering the workforce.
“Working equipment means the students can practice their skills and simulate things. When the beds aren’t functional, it makes it really hard to put someone in a Trendelenburg position, or any other position. So this gives us the ability to let them practice so that one day when they are ready, they can go out and work on real patients.”
Many departments at Shawnee State have working relationships with businesses in the region, and the one between SSU’s College of Health Sciences and the surrounding healthcare industry continues to be highly beneficial for both sides.
“Our relationship with Adena and all our clinical sites has been wonderful,” France said.”We are very dependent on our clinical sites. It’s nice that we can call them up and say hey, we are in need of this, and, if they’re able, they will find ways and come through. But they hire a lot of our students too. They need respiratory therapists, so we are providing them with their needs as well.”
While the program is always in need of things like new ventilators and disposables, the two beds donated by Adena are sure to significantly improve classes and student practice.
“We appreciate all our clinical sites and we especially appreciate Adena for stepping up and getting these beds to us,” France said. “They saw the need and they saw that future therapists are dependent on this equipment functioning and working, so we can’t thank them enough.”
Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Therapy, SSU’s program offers students a hands-on experience through clinical and laboratory settings. Students learn to care for patients of all ages experiencing different breathing problems such as asthma and COPD. Graduates of the program have found work in hospitals, private practice facilities, sleep disorder centers, health care research institutions, home health care agencies, and retirement centers, among many other employers. The demand for Respiratory Therapists is expected to grow by 19% by 2029.
To learn more about the Respiratory Therapy program at Shawnee State University, visit shawnee.edu/respiratory-therapy. To explore different donation opportunities within the SSU Development Foundation, visit givetossu.com or contact Chris Moore at (740) 351-3284.