Hancock Regional Hospital's Austin Fridley looks over the hospital's PPE supply. Fridley is the supply chain manager and purchasing agent for the hospital. Hancock Regional and emergency services workers say they're keeping personal protective equipment at adequate levels during this COVID-19 surge. (Tom Russo | Daily Reporter)
Hancock Regional Hospital's Austin Fridley looks over the hospital's PPE supply. Fridley is the supply chain manager and purchasing agent for the hospital. Hancock Regional and emergency services workers say they're keeping personal protective equipment at adequate levels during this COVID-19 surge. (Tom Russo | Daily Reporter)
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HANCOCK COUNTY — Personal protective equipment has always been a part of health care and emergency services. But it’s been especially important throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for protecting workers in those fields from contracting the novel coronavirus and keeping them on the front lines.

Those who rely on such equipment to do their jobs in Hancock County say local supply levels have been sufficient during the current surge of infections, but maintaining those levels is still challenging.

Personal protective equipment, or PPE, includes gear like gloves, masks, face coverings, goggles, gowns, head coverings, shoe coverings, bodysuits and even special hoods that keep outside air from reaching the wearer.

One piece of PPE that’s been instrumental for health care and emergency workers throughout the pandemic are N95 respirators, which are capable of blocking at least 95% of very small particles, including the kind that transmit COVID-19.

“It all depends on what kind of patient you have and the task you’re doing that dictates what personal protective equipment you’re going to wear,” said Craig Felty, vice president, chief nursing officer and chief operating officer of Hancock Regional Hospital.

Felty said the hospital is working on a goal to increase its PPE reserves to a 30-day supply.

“We’re working our way up to that number slowly,” he said.

The hospital wants to avoid PPE challenges it experienced in the spring, during the beginning of the pandemic. Felty said under non-pandemic circumstances, PPE suppliers deliver often. The hospital keeps less PPE on its shelves to keep it from expiring and because if more is needed, it can be supplied in a reasonable amount of time. When the pandemic struck and demand for PPE rose, however, the hospital could get only a percentage of its normal supply as it quickly went through its inventory.

“Now we want to keep at least 30 days of personal protective equipment on the shelf at all times so we don’t get into a situation like we were in in March when we were running out of things,” Felty said.

The 30-day supply is a feasible goal, he said.

“The PPE marketplace, I would say it’s stable, stable for us at least,” he said. “It all depends on the relationships you have.”

Hancock Regional Hospital is part of a large group purchasing organization for supplies, he continued.

“We’re part of one of the largest GPOs, which means we have more support,” he said. “We’re actually very fortunate with that relationship we have. I think it’s definitely been a reason why we’ve been able to keep stuff coming in the door, albeit slowly.”

Corey Breese, public information officer for the Greenfield Fire Territory, said firefighters have always had to wear gloves on medical calls. Because of COVID-19, first-responders now also wear N95 masks and reusable protective eye-wear regardless of whether a patient has the novel coronavirus or its symptoms. And if a patient has COVID-19 or its symptoms, responders are also wearing medical gowns.

Any other time firefighters are out in public, they wear cloth masks, per department and city policy, Breese also said.

“Right now, we’re sitting pretty good,” he said of the department’s PPE supply. “We’re able to acquire a bunch through different sources. … Then we’ve got some avenues we can take as things start getting low.”

Breese credited the sufficient supply to careful planning by the fire territory’s division chief of emergency medical services, R.J. Beaver.

Breese also said some budget shifting was required, as the department has had to spend much more on PPE than anyone dreamed possible a year ago, when expenses were being calculated.

Dave Sutherlin, Buck Creek Township’s fire chief, said his department’s PPE supply level is doing OK.

“We’re able to keep up with it, but we have to conserve,” he said.

Hancock County Emergency Management has been helpful in keeping the department supplied.

“They can’t supply everything for everyone, but they have done a very good job of making sure that (we) folks that are in the county that provide health care services, particularly ambulance service … are staying supplied with PPE that we need in order to handle the run load that we have going on,” Sutherlin said.

Buck Creek responders wear N95 respirators on every run and will place surgical masks on patients for transport to hospitals.

When it comes to N95 masks, personnel have to strike a balance between conservation and maintaining sanitary conditions. If they’re stored the right way, it’s possible to get a couple weeks out of one, Sutherlin said.

“I can,” he added. “But then again, I’m not making as many patient contacts as some of the guys on ambulances. They may only get one or two shifts out of them, then they’re moving on to the next mask.”

Chad Abel, Vernon Township’s fire chief, said his department struggled to get the PPE it needed during the beginning of the pandemic.

“Things have kind of evened out for a while, so we were able to stock up just a little bit,” he said.

He said Vernon Township has also benefited from the county emergency management agency’s work to secure PPE from the state.

“As time has gone on, we’ve had times when the availability of PPE has dropped off, so we’re kind of getting a little bit more creative in looking for it in different areas,” Abel also said.

Kiely Culberson, Vernon Township’s emergency management services chief, said it’s been harder to get PPE lately. Some items are taking multiple weeks to arrive when they usually take days, which has required the department to plan ahead by ordering more than it normally would.

“When we did that, we were able to account for all the back-order problems happening now,” she said.

Suppliers have been helpful by calling in as they get low on their own supplies and encouraging departments to put in orders, Culberson continued. She said the department’s mutual aid partners have been willing to share PPE as well and echoed Abel’s and Sutherlin’s thanks to the county’s emergency management agency for helping out.

Misty Moore, director of Hancock County Emergency Management, said maintaining PPE hasn’t been difficult during the current surge. At the beginning of the pandemic, the county had stockpiled a lot provided by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, which the county has had on hand as requests for more have been coming in lately.

Moore said someone has been stopping by to pick up PPE every day recently, whether a fire department, law enforcement agency or long-term care facility.

“There’s been a different one each day, running out of different things and asking for them,” she said.

Moore said she recently placed an order for more PPE with the state and that she’s confident in its ability to continue providing it as needed.
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