Community Care In The COVID-19 Crisis
In response to the need for assistance to front liners during the height of the covid 19 pandemic, CHSAF and a number of alumni batches donated much needed items such as personal protective equipment (PPE) body suits and medical masks for hospital frontline health workers, food and beverages and other equipment.
The COVID-19 Pandemic hit the Philippines with a first confirmed case in late January and community transmission recorded in the first week of March 2020. On March 17, when the government enforced Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) for the whole of Luzon and Metro Manila, CHSAF President Imelda Lopez-Santos heeded the urgent circulating calls for support for the frontline health workers in the hospitals. The need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for hospital workers became more acute when doctors and nurses were getting infected with some unfortunately succumbing to COVID-19.
On March 19, as an initial quick response, CHSAF donated to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital 800 bottles of mineral water and 50 packs of Jungle Juice left over from the 2020 CHS Alumnae Homecoming.
On March 23, upon the initiation of Imelda Lopez-Santos, the CHSAF Board approved a total of P200,000.00 allocation from its general funds for CHSAF’s COVID-19 Frontline Support.
Within April 2020, CHSAF donated a refrigerator to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), and personal protective equipment (PPE) body suits and medical masks for hospital frontline health workers in 3 COVID-19 referral hospitals.
Other CHS alumnae batches, through their active class representatives and CHSAF Board members pitched in by raising funds and donating PPE to various frontline hospitals in Metro Manila and in a few provinces.
This special issue chronicles these efforts of CHSAF and alumnae classes. It does not, however, capture the countless donations and deeds made by alumnae, with their families, friends and organizations that they are involved in.
CHSAF Donation for RITM Frontline Work
04 April 2020. CHSAF and HS Class 75 turned over its donation of a 15.6 cu. ft. refrigerator to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) to support Dr. Celia Carlos (HS-75) and RITM’s work in this Covid-19 pandemic. The refrigerator will be used to store reagents and medicines for COVID-19 tests.
CHSAF Donations for COVID-19 Frontline Hospitals
On 6 April 2020, CHSAF and HS Class 77 donated 50 PPE body suits to Sta. Ana Hospital, Manila’s Infectious Diseases Center and COVID-19 Referral Hospital. The body suits were procured and delivered by the Rotary Club of Makati Dasmarinas, led by its President, Dr. Ben Valdecanas, left, with two RC members. These were received by Ms. Sandra Quita, RN, Logistics and Supplies Coordinator.
The CHSAF-RC Makati Dasmarinas cooperation was facilitated by Elisa Miranda-Cua, CHSAF Board member, who is also Assistant Governor of the Rotary Club District. Her HS-77 class shared half of the cost of the donations.
CHSAF Donations of 50 PPE Body Suits were received by Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Procurement Staff. These were also delivered on 06 April 2020 by the Rotary Club of Makati-Dasmarinas.
CHSAF Delivered PPEs for Frontline Health Workers
20 April 2020
Monday of the 5th week of the Luzon-wide ECQ
CHSAF delivered a total of 249 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Body Suits and 290 Medical Face Masks (KN95). These were still a major part of the unrestricted funds allocated by CHSAF for this urgent community support in the Covid-19 crisis.
CHSAF Donations for COVID-19 Frontline Hospitals
- Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (OLLH) in Manila
100 PPE Body Suits and 100 Medical Face Masks
Lourdes Hospital is close to the CHS alumnae hearts because since 1957 it was owned and managed by the SSpS sisters. Since November 2010, it has been run under a management contract by the East Manila Hospital Managers Corp. Lourdes Hospital was designated as the COVID-19 patients referral center of the hospitals being managed by the Metro Pacific Corp. (Please see its Website https://ollh-manila.com/ and FB page Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital)
- Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila
100 PPE Body Suits and 100 Medical Face Masks
Sta. Ana Hospital has been designated by the City of Manila as its infectious diseases control center and on 25 March 2020, Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso further designated it as the primary COVID-19 referral hospital for the city. The Hospital Director is Dr. Grace Hermoso Padilla.
- East Avenue Medical Center
49 PPEs and 50 Medical Face Masks
East Avenue Medical Center is one of the biggest public tertiary hospitals and services primarily low-income families in Metro Manila. It treats Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) and COVID-19 patients and has been appealing for PPEs for its health workers since the start of the pandemic. Dr. Myrelle Francces Isidro, EAMC resident doctor gladly received the PPEs. She made a shout out request to her friend, Dr. Rainbow Sarmiento, niece of the Sarmiento sisters led by Imelda Sarmiento (HS-65).
CHSAF Donations for COVID-19 Community Care
For the Holy Spirit Sisters at the Poinsettia Convent
A set of 40 medical face masks were sent to the SSpS Convent for their infirmary staff and caregivers who take care of the beloved sisters there.
THANK YOU!!
CHSAF couldn’t have done these PPE deliveries without the invaluable help of:
Maryknoll College High School ‘89 volunteer group through Ms. Angelina Galang, CHSAF Board member and Carol Bahukhandi, who linked us to a source importer and facilitated the orders through port Customs clearance and delivery to CHSM, free of charge.
Mr. Paul Camangian, COO of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, who provided the Certificates of Donation and other documents for Bureau of Customs clearance.
Sr. Eden Panganiban, SSpS, our CHSAF adviser and now the community leader in the Mendiola school. She oversaw the receiving, repacking and sending off of the goods, together with Sr. Florencia Tubana, SSpS.
Viangelie Vera, CHSAF administrative assistant, who braved the quarantine and walked from Bacood, Sta. Mesa to Mendiola and helped re-pack the medical supplies, with William and Bang Lim.
And a resounding “Maraming Salamat” to Mr. William Lim, the Barangay Secretary of Manila Brgy.638, where CHSM is located. He volunteered to deliver the PPEs and medical masks to the three hospitals. He was fully protected with a PPE suit and covered from head to feet. It was a hot morning, but he did not mind traveling and carrying the boxes to the recipient hospitals.
The CHSAF Board for 2019-20, carried out this initiative to support the frontline health care workers battling COVID-19. They coordinated the purchasing, payment, packing and distribution of the PPE suits and masks, with persistence and compassion, as CHS alumnae undoubtedly would, for the school, the community and country…
One in Spirit of Truth in Love
By Veronica Fenix Villavicencio (HS-72)
CHSAF Board Member 2019-20
CHSM: One In Spirit
In its humble efforts to help during this COVID-19 crisis, Sr. Eden Panganiban, SSpS, CHSM Community Leader and CHSAF adviser, initiated Project Clogs after asking Dr. Celia Carlos what RITM needs.
With donations from the SSpS province and St. Paul University Manila HS-68, through Dr. Wynna Medina, CHSM President, 282 pairs of rubber clogs for health workers were delivered to RITM.
CHS Alumnae: One In Spirit
CHSM Alumnae, through their classes, also came together to respond to the COVID-19 crisis in various ways.
HS Class 57 sent 35 sets of PPEs to the Capitol Medical Center, Quezon City.
HS-57 was coordinated by class representative Linda David-del Rosario.
HS Class 62 donated 150 boxes of Vitamin C for the Holy Spirit Social Center (HSSC).
These were given to frontliners including those from neary hospitals who would sleep in HSSC, and staff of the center who distribute food for street dwellers around the Poinsettia convent area; for CHSM sisters and staff; and for frontliners in hospitals such as Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
HS-62 was coordinated by class representatives, Natalie P. Francisco and Magdalena Echevarria-De la Rosa.
HS Class 65, led by class representative Rosalou Soriano-Lamson, sent a cash donation to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, effected through Mr. Paul Camangian, Chief Operating Officer and Sr. Malou Mendiola, SSpS coordinator for OLLH.
HS Class 68 joined the Covid-19 response efforts, spearheaded by their Dr. Jennifer Mendoza Wi through the Sagip Buhay Medical Foundation.
The class raised P190,000 and donated this to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). In the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was crucial for the hospital to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) for the PGH Internal Medicine Department.
HS-68 was coordinated by class representatives Guillermina (Ging) M. Ong and Dr. Cynthia Cases-Bernardo, CHSAF Board member.
Julie Uy (HS Class 70) and husband Joey were declared COVID-19 positive and confined at the hospital. Their two daughters, Jacqueline Ann Lee Uy Sia and Joyce Pauline Lee Uy, asked family and friends for prayers for their parents. At the same time, they asked for donations for Personal Protective Equipment suits (PPEs) for hospital frontliners.
Not long after, the couple were COVID free and back home!
PPE were donated to:
Philippine Heart Center
Lung Center of the Philippines
The Medical City Ortigas
Novaliches General Hospital
Veterans Memorial Hospital
HS Class 72 donated P44,000 worth of Medical Face Masks (KN95) for medical frontline health workers in:
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital
East Avenue Medical Center ER & IM Depts.
National Kidney and Transplant Institute – IM Dept
This effort was coordinated for
HS-72 by Juliet Carrillo-Quimel with Angie Madrid and Ma. Luz E. Gabriel and Veronica Fenix-Villavicencio, both CHSAF Board members.
HS Class 74 donated 50 sets of PPEs to Rizal Medical Center last April 18, 2020.
HS-74 also gave to each of the 3 hospitals 20 boxes, each with 50 pieces of surgical masks with total amount of P37,800.00. The class donations was led by class representative, Clara Jean Fadul-Arce.
HS Class 77 donated PPEs, jointly with CHSAF to the frontliners of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Sta. Ana Hospital.
HS-77 class likewise donated 50 PPEs for anesthesiologists in hospitals in Roxas City, Capiz:
- Capiz Doctors’ Hospital where classmate, Dr. Cristina Danac-Delfin heads the Anesthesiology Department
- Capiz Emmanuel Hospital
- Anthony College Hospital
- The Health Centrum.
HS-77’s Regina Unas-Barcelon organized the order and shipment of the PPEs to Roxas City, Capiz.
HS Class 77 also gave a cash donation of P10,000 to the SSpS sisters for the frontliners and homeless they are hosting.
Elisa Miranda-Cua, Board member and Victoria Torres- del Rosario, class representative coordinated the initiatives.
Sr. Carmelita Victoria, SSpS, Leader of the Philippine Province, sent a message to her HS-77 batchmates:
“Many thanks! Please tell our batchmates. We’re also praying for you, our generous benefactors!”
HS Class 79 donated 100 pcs KN95 masks each to the Casimiro Ynares Sr. Memorial Hospital, Fe del Mundo Medical Center, and Novaliches District Hospital.
Dr. Nellie Viray-Jiao sourced the masks and class representative Kalyn Manzano coordinated the initiative.
We acknowledge and thank everyone who actively participated in the CHSAF frontline support,
the Board Members for 2019-2020, and the class representatives who spearheaded their batch’s donations to help frontline workers fight COVID-19.
CHSAF Board Members 2019-2020
Imelda Lopez-Santos, President
Evangeline Qua, 1st Vice-President
Natalie P. Francisco, 2nd Vice-President
Ma. Luz E. Gabriel, Secretary
Elisa Miranda-Cua, Asst. Treasurer
Angelina Pineda-Galang
Veronica Fenix-Villavicencio
Sr. Eden Panganiban, SSpS, Adviser
Secretariat: Ma. Corazon B. Parco
Viangelie Vera
Class Representatives
HS-57 – Linda David-del Rosario
HS-62 – Natalie P. Francisco,
Magdalena Echevarria-De la Rosa
HS-65 – Rosalou Soriano-Lamson
HS-68 – Guillermina M. Ong,
Dr. Cynthia Cases-Bernardo
HS-72 – Veronica Fenix-Villavicenco
Ma. Luz E. Gabriel
HS-74 – Clara Jean Fadul-Arce
HS-75 – Cynthia S. Cabrera
HS-77 – Elisa Miranda-Cua.
Victoria Torres-Del Rosario
HS-79 – Kalyn Manzano
Dr. Nellie Viray-Jiao
15.6 cu.ft refrigerator for RITM, ready for delivery Abenson Ventures-Alabang staff with Mel Santos (right).
RITM director Dr. Celia Carlos. HS-75, poses with the new refrigerator
Ms. Hanseld Mandreza (right) of Lourdes Hospital received the PPEs from Mr. William Lim, Manila Brgy. 638 Secretary and CHSAF representative (left in white PPE suit).
Ms. Maria Teresa de Vela of Sta. Ana Hospital (right) receives the PPEs delivered from CHSAF.
The masks were received by the Fe del Mundo Medical Center.