Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2020

INTERNSHIP OF PANDEMIC PROPORTIONS For social work major Hayley Penrose ’21, her summer internship took an unexpected turn. You might even say it took on a significance of pandemic proportions. But for Penrose, it was about letting God use her right where He already had placed her. Penrose had been serving with the Clark County Combined Health District. Her work experience began with the health district’s “Help Me Grow” program for mothers and their young children, but by the middle of May, she was one of 16 staff members, plus several epidemiologists, contact tracing positive COVID-19 cases. In addition to contacting clients, Penrose sent isolation orders to individuals with a positive test and 14-day quarantine orders for those who had been in contact with them. She also completed well-check visits with positive test patients to see how they were doing. In June, Penrose switched from contact tracing to the Housing and Support Needs Team, where she fulfilled requests from Clark County residents who were isolated or quarantined. “We delivered essential items like food, water, cleaning supplies, thermometers, hygiene products, etc. to people all over Clark County,” she explained. PRINTING 3-D MASK CONSERVERS Connor Hart ’22 was already using his engineering skills to help others when he shifted those abilities to make a difference during the pandemic. As a freshman, Hart, the founder of Hands of Hope Foundation, started creating 3-D prosthetics for children with limb differences, with manufacturing space provided courtesy of the School of Engineering and Computer Science. When social distancing became protocol in March to help flatten the COVID-19 curve, Hart had to stop meeting with his clients, but switched to printing conserver masks to help medical professionals and nursing homes facing mask shortages. “It is normal practice for medical personnel to switch out masks between each patient check-up,” Hart said. “However, the supply shortages in the months of March and April got so bad that, in some cases, medical personnel were issued only one or two masks per week, if issued one at all.” Conserver masks are made from plastic using a 3D printer and have an air vent where the user inserts a small piece of medical mask fabric, about one-sixth the fabric of a normal mask, which allowed healthcare professionals to get more from limited supplies available at the beginning of the pandemic. “I was devastated when I learned Hands of Hope wouldn’t be able to work with the families it serves for a full four months due to COVID,” said Hart. “Having the opportunity to serve others by using my engineering skills to help fight the mask shortage was truly a blessing for me.” Hart, who is majoring in mechanical engineering, was able to make up to eight masks a day with his 3D-printing 22 | Cedarville Magazine