MCCers benefit from Rush Donation
Three thousand and six hundred. That’s the number of face masks donated to Meridian Community College by Rush Health Systems.
That number is counted in the 40,000 masks Rush donated to local and area school districts and to colleges.
"Donating these masks for the MCC campus family is just another example of the tremendous support Rush Hospital has provided MCC for many, many years. We truly appreciate their partnership in dealing with this unprecedented situation,” said Sander Adkinson, MCC associate dean of student services and athletic director.
The two-ply, 100 percent cotton masks are safe for machine washing and drying, so the masks can be reused. There are two sizes available for the MCC students, faculty and staff. A recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report showed the effectiveness of wearing masks in stemming coronavirus.
Rush Health Systems President and CEO Larkin Kennedy said, “We feel a deep sense of gratitude to the educational professionals who have remained committed to educating our leaders of tomorrow under what are some very difficult circumstances. The health and safety of the communities we serve is a top priority for us, and we wanted to provide our community with an important layer of protection as schools reopen.”
Though Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves lifted the face mask requirement, the City of Meridian continues to operate under a mandated order. On the MCC campus, students, faculty and staff are to wear them if they are within 6 feet of another person, in and out of the classroom.
The College’s Student Engagement division will be distributing the masks Oct. 12-16 at the front desk at the Quave Student Life Center. Students can show their ID cards and receive a mask, said Brandon Dewease, director of student engagement.
Photo: Will Ball, director of sports and business development at Rush Health Systems, left, Brandon Dewease, director of student engagement at MCC, and Sander Adkinson, MCC associate dean of student services and athletic director, pause before unloading boxes of face masks to the campus community.