Nearly 600 canisters of disinfectant wipes are headed to COVID-19 units in Health First's four Brevard County hospitals, courtesy of local teachers and Brevard Public Schools.
The wipes, which were collected with teachers' permission from empty elementary school classrooms around the county, will help cover a shortage in respiratory units strictly dedicated to patients who have tested positive for the new coronavirus, Health First official Ana Victoria Sanchez said Monday.
The idea began with Rebecca Talaia, a sixth-grade teacher at Indialantic Elementary.
She learned after talking with a parent of one of her students that hospitals were having trouble stocking the wipes, which were used for everything from wiping down goggles in between patients to sterilizing keyboards in nursing units.