Supplies collected at Westfield High School for Baystate Noble Hospital. (WESTFIELD NEWS SUBMITTED PHOTO)
WESTFIELD – Westfield Public Schools is donating protective gear to emergency response teams in the city.
Baystate Health Vice President of Government and Community Relations Michael R. Knapik reached out to Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski for an inventory of the schools’ supplies, saying the hospital is running low on masks and other protective gear.
Westfield High School Principal Charles Jendrysik gathered supplies at the school from the new healthcare program.
Science, Technology and Engineering Supervisor Lauren Figy said Kate Pawul, science teacher at Westfield High, reached out to her last week suggesting the donation of the school’s inventory of nitrile gloves.
“Everyone must have been thinking the same thing because Stefan reached out shortly after because Baystate was in need,” Figy said, adding the school donated two boxes of masks and more than 30 boxes of gloves as well as one surgical gown from the science and engineering departments.
Westfield Technical Academy Principal Joseph Langone and Allied Health Instructor Maureen Baillargeon are donating their inventory of masks and gowns. Czaporowski said the automotive technology department is also donating its supply of N95 masks and Tyvek suits.
“We gathered materials from allied health, aviation, auto collision, auto tech, culinary and construction. We even scrounged the last few masks and gloves from my school nurses office! Truly a full school effort,” Langone said.
Czaporowski, who serves on the city’s emergency response team along with Baystate Noble, was collecting the supplies in his office March 23 to bring to Emergency Management Director Jim Wiggs, to be given out as needed.
He said the district has also made their bilingual translators available to the health department.
“As the superintendent, I am very happy to do our part to help our emergency responders and health care workers in this time of need. Anything we can provide, including equipment and resources, we will,” Czaporowski said.
