SCL Health St. Mary’s in Grand Junction has expanded a training program to help health care workers in the region respond to a potential surge in COVID-19 infections.

A $79,000 grant received from the federal government and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment funded the training.
In June, St. Mary’s also received a $50,000 grant to help expand training for responding to COVID-19 infections.

St. Mary’s conducted its first onsite workshop at Colorado Canyons Hospital and Medical Center in Fruita.

“We are so thrilled to be able to execute this critical training for health care workers beyond our walls. The training is intense and is completed over a two-month period. It includes everything from self assessment to a hands-on workshop,” said Erin Minnerath, infection prevention manager at St. Mary’s.

The goal, Minnerath said, is to train health care workers on best practices for donning and doffing personal protection equipment, identifying and isolating patients with COVID-19 and implementing infection prevention strategies.

Deanna Hofer, infection control coordinator at Colorado Canyons Hospital and Medical Center, welcomed the training. “We were very excited to participate in this project. We have gained practical training tools that we can take and share with the rest of our organization.”