Local medical supplies are being sent overseas thanks to the work of some area high school students.
Eleven Beta Club students from Vienna High School -- who plan to enter the medical profession -- packed dozens of boxes to be sent to Hands of Hope of Marion to assist its global medical mission.
The supplies are stored and were packed in a warehouse at the Southern Illinois Airport. The warehouse belongs to the Regional Hospital Coordinating Center. — or RHCC.
Crystal Crim with the RHCC says these medical supplies can help people in need.
"These items are expired however, they are still good items and there’s different laws for what we can use here. So we can no longer use these items but we don’t want them to go to waste because they are still in good working condition so we want to donate them."
Vienna High School student Ariel Board , who has been a CNA since she was 16, says she loves knowing she is a part of something that will benefit others.
"I’m an adrenaline junkie. But just helping people, even the family members that come into the nursing home and I help them out, their faces just make me happy."
Sherie Smith teaches the C-N-A program, medical terminology and health occupation courses at Vienna High School in addition to being the school nurse.
"I feel like this is a learning piece for them (students) to know that when you get volunteered you actually are able to let the specialty people do the higher level jobs. So I feel like this is a piece of that to understand that at the CNA level,, the reason we have CNA is so nurses can actually get dig into those charts and be able to see what the patients need."
Vienna student Ethan Bradley says he's happy to know these supplies will be put to good use.
"As I was in, still am in the CNA program, it makes me feel great, knowing that it’s gonna go somewhere to help people that actually need it instead of just sitting in this warehouse. "
The supplies include gloves, gauze, syringes, suture kits and catheter kits.
