President Gordon Gee sent a letter Thursday (April 23) to the West Virginia University campus community calling on Mountaineers to “stay the course and take pride in knowing that we are adapting in ways we never thought possible.”
An anonymous donor’s gift will ensure that, although they aren’t on campus, students enrolled at West Virginia University can reach out to the Carruth Center for Psychological and Psychiatric Services through a 24/7 crisis text line to receive immediate assistance from a live, trained counselor – especially if they feel overwhelmed by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
West Virginia University supporters are being asked to step up for students Tuesday, May 5, during #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of giving and unity created to help meet the unprecedented need caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The gift from Dr. and Mrs. John Mikita, of Hilton Head, S.C., will support a general radiology room on the hospital’s fourth floor, a diagnostic hub that will also house laboratory, CT, MRI, ultrasound and other imaging resources. The general radiology room will be named for the Mikitas in recognition of their gift.
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered life for West Virginia University students and their families, many of whom are unsure how they will afford food, housing and education costs in the coming months.
As WVU Medicine prepares for a surge in COVID-19 patients, two Morgantown-area businesses donated 10,000 facemasks to help boost personal protective equipment supplies for healthcare providers.
In his April 8 letter, President Gordon Gee also noted measures will continue through June 30 to ensure the safety and well-being of students, faculty, staff and the WVU community.
The purchase, coordinated through the West Virginia University Health System, includes 1,149,000 procedural masks, 163,025 surgical masks, 116,120 N95 respirators, 290,180 disposable gowns, 29,400 pairs of protective eyewear (goggles and glasses), and 40,000 disposable suits.
As health care providers nationwide struggle to secure ample personal protective equipment to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, Morgantown’s Chinese community donated $10,000 to help supply masks, face shields, gloves and more for WVU Medicine personnel on the front lines.
The Bucklew Scholarship is given to 20 high-achieving West Virginia students accepted to the University and qualifies them to be considered for the Foundation Scholarship, WVU’s highest academic scholarship.