Helping Hands

Pandemic Relief Brings Helping Hands

STORY BY DALE

LONG

Alumni continue to use technology, research knowledge, teamwork, and can-do attitudes to help the public address significant public health challenges. Fred Blessinger, a 1986 mechanical engineering alumnus, and Rolf Alexis, a 1989 chemical engineering graduate, led an initiative to coordinate the recommissioning of General Motors Company’s idled industrial and commercial property in Kokomo, Ind., to meet the global backorder of critical care ventilators capable of supporting patients fighting the coronavirus. GM formed a partnership with Ventec Life Systems in March to provide necessary supplies to health care facilities dealing with coronavirus patients through the federal government’s Defense Production Act. An existing three-story building at the GM Kokomo facility was selected and members of GM and Ventec worked around the clock to refurbish the building with the manufacturing and testing capacity to meet the urgent need for more ventilators. Production was ready within 30 days, with a goal to provide 6,000 ventilators by June 1. Manufacturing capacity is planned to be at a rate of 10,000 per month by August. Blessinger is an operational excellence leader at GM’s Kokomo operations while Alexis is a senior engineer for the company’s global facilities. The alumnus specializes in tackling organizational and technological challenges, including lean manufacturing machining and assembly operations.

MEETING A COMMUNITY’S NEED

Another massive transformation took place early this spring inside North America’s largest convention center, McCormick’s Place in downtown Chicago. Sections of its flexible-use space became an alternative care medical facility for non-critical patient hospital overflow, in preparation of an expected surge of coronavirus patients at Chicago-area hospitals. The facility was available throughout April. Brett Olson, a 2003 mechanical engineering alumnus, assisted colleagues of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) commercial real estate services leadership team to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Chicago and Illinois governmental officials to create 1,000 beds for patients. Olson used his experience in managing hospitals, commercial office buildings, federal buildings, and retail spaces to help JLL get ancillary services ready to handle the project’s numerous technical and operational requirements. These included mechanical, electrical, plumbing operations, janitorial service, biomedical equipment maintenance, and security services. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker marveled at the speed and teamwork that went into the project. In a joint statement, they stated: “We thank all our dedicated partners for their hard work and partnership in creating one of the nation’s best operating and largest alternate care facilities.” A JLL employee since 2006, Olson is an account lead in the company’s general services administration, after being vice president of regional facilities and managing operations, sustainability and energy projects. He specializes in driving collaboration to deliver customer services and efficient property management.

Critical care ventilators started rolling off the assembly line at GM's site in Kokomo, Ind., to help meet the global demand.

FOX MODELING THE NEXT MOVE

A pandemic model for COVID-19 cases by researchers at the University of Texas, co-directed by 2013 applied biology alumnus Spencer Fox, informed public health officials regionally and nationally about the benefits of social distancing in preventing the spread of the illness. The model suggests that reducing daily contacts between people by 90 percent would be expected to “flatten the curve” of the unmanageable surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations through the spring and summer. The model uses geolocation data from cellphones, aggregated and anonymized, to reflect how often people congregate in public places such as restaurants, bars, schools, parks, pharmacies, and grocery stores, as well as the amount of time people spend at work versus at home. The team’s findings, funded by the National Institutes of Health, have been provided to national, state and local leaders to respond and advise public policy. “Our early projections about the extent of the pandemic’s impact on human life served their purpose, galvanizing action to fight the pandemic and thus altering the course of an epidemic,” said Fox. “This pandemic has served as a reminder of how important epidemiological modeling will be long term, continuing to learn about COVID-19 and preparing for the next potential pandemic.” Assisting the team has been 1986 chemistry alumnus David Lakey, vice chancellor for health affairs and chief medical officer for the UT System. He was commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services from 2007-15 and served as the state’s chief health official during public health emergencies such as H1N1 and Ebola.

KERNS HELPS CLEAR AIR FOR MASK MAKERS

The role of 2000 civil engineering alumna Shannon Kerns as sales and marketing director shifted to becoming a valuable community servant when Fiber Bond Corporation’s facility in Michigan City, Ind., converted a portion of its air filtration product

Stefani Vande Lune (BSAB, 2006; MSBE, 2008) joined Indiana University Medical School-South Bend students in filling hand sanitizer bottles at the Indiana Whiskey Company. The supplies were given to essential businesses within the community. “I think it's a great reminder to future doctors that, in the name of safety and patient care, no task is too trivial. It's all about teamwork and pitching in wherever you can, even if your labels aren't always straight,” she says.

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manufacturing capacity to produce sterile masks. The items were provided to company employees and their families, along with Northwest Indiana hospital workers, to help protect them and those they come in contact with during the pandemic. Kerns also collected excess Fiber Bond filtration media for distribution as inserts in masks created by local sewing groups and home seamstresses. One of the recipients was her sister, Kristy Unton, wife of 2002 computer science alumnus Chris Unton. Kristy Unton made specially designed masks for friends and family members. One mask was made for Kayla Harding, a first-year civil engineering student and younger sister of Shannon and Kristy.

DOCTORS HELPING OTHERS AND THEMSELVES

The call of 1973 bioengineering alumnus Rick Henthorn to service as a veteran medical professional has had him working overtime to help patients in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area dealing with the effects of the coronavirus. Henthorn specializes in cardiac electro-physiology. That knowledge and expertise has been very helpful during the pandemic. “In my opinion, Rick is a true hero,” says 1973 classmate and longtime friend George Rodibaugh. “He could have retired four years ago, like the rest of us. Instead, he’s still saving lives. He’s an honorable alumnus without a peer.”

MORAVEC RECOVERS, HELPING OTHERS

As an emergency medicine assistant, 2014 chemical engineering alumna Katherine Moravec was helping patients deal with the effects of the coronavirus outbreak until she contacted the disease herself. “I did not have to be hospitalized, am working on getting back to strength, and have returned to work,” she reports. Moravec has worked at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, N.C., after earning a medical degree in 2018 from the Indiana University School of Medicine. n

Shannon Kerns (CE, 2020) worked with Fiber Bond Corporation colleagues to produce sterile masks for employees and Northwest Indiana health care workers.