SU donates beds for Dgte’s isolation facilities

Silliman University (SU) donated 150 wooden folding beds/cots (teheras) to the local government of Dumaguete this afternoon, in response to the city’s bed shortage in their isolation facilities amid the continuing rise in the number of Covid-19 positive cases.

 

The turnover at the Dumaguete City High School Quarantine Facility in Barangay Calindagan was attended by Engr. Edgar S. Ygnalaga Jr., Buildings and Grounds superintendent, and Atty. Joshua Francisco Ablong, Human Resource Development manager, representing SU; Dr. Maria Sarah B. Talla, Dumaguete City Health Officer, and Atty. Manuel Arbon, Dumaguete City Legal Officer, representing the city government.

 

The SU COVID-19 Crisis Management Group, led by Dr. Walden Ursos, in a meeting with Talla last June 7, 2021, agreed to make the donation after the latter admitted that “the number one need of the city these days are beds for the isolation facilities” even as she disclosed that the different barangays in the city have their own isolation facilities but very limited in number.

SU President Dr. Betty Cernol McCann said the beds donation is one of the efforts initiated by the university to help Dumaguete as it faces rough sailing in the “fight” against the virus.

“Silliman is always ready to help the local government in any capacity it can, as part of our social responsibility to the community,” Dr. McCann said.

 

SU has designated both Davao Cottage and Channon Hall as isolation facilities with the approval of the local Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for those who have mild cases and those with first and second generation exposures to persons positive with the virus.

Dr. Ursos said that the move has been helping the city decongest their isolation facilities even as he explained that those who are isolated or quarantined in Channon Hall and Davao Cottage are the university’s faculty, staff, and students infected with COVID-19 for a very minimal fee, to cover the utilities and maintenance expenses.

Aside from Channon and Davao Cottage, Vernon Hall is also being utilized as an isolation facility for frontliners from SU Medical Center infected with the virus.  “The move eases the demand for bed spaces capacity of the hospital,” Ursos added.

Vice President for Development Prof. Jane Annette L. Belarmino, for her part, calls for donations and/or collaboration among the alumni and friends of Silliman to help in addressing the needs of those who are in the city’s isolation facilities as Dumaguete City continues to struggle with this pandemic.

Belarmino said that any help whether big or small is welcome and that her office is ready to work with interested donors for a more coordinated and sustainable program to help the LGU.

During the meeting, Dr. Talla admitted that there are now more than 500 Covid-19 positive cases in the city as of today.