The Imperial County Board of Supervisors recognized the faculty, staff, administration and Board of Trustees of Imperial Valley College on May 18 for the college's "extraordinary contributions to the County of Imperial's response to the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Mike Kelley, chairman of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors (center) is fl anked by IVC Board of Trustees Clerk Karla Sigmond (left) and IVC Superintendent/President Martha Garcia.
Receiving the county's resolution on behalf of the college were Board Clerk Karla Sigmond and IVC Superintendent/President Martha Garcia.
IVC's support over the past year has included hosting several drive-through vaccination clinics. It also turned over the DePaoli Sports Complex gymnasium to the county's Emergency Medical Services Agency for establishment of an Alternative Care Site.
"Due to a signifi cant increase in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations beginning in the spring of 2020, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency identifi ed the need to fi nd a suitable location for an Alternate Care Site (ACS) to augment healthcare system capacity," Health Department Director Janette Angulo noted in a Board of Supervisors agenda letter that requested the recognition.
The Imperial ValleyCollege Board of Trustees authorized establishment of the alternative care site on the campus, and it received its fi rst patient May 26, 2020. The site received overflow Covid patients from the county's two hospitals over two periods, from May 26, 2020 through Aug. 19, 2020, and again beginning Nov. 20, 2020, through Feb. 28, 2021.
Angulo noted that during operation of the Alternative Care Site, "358 medical personnel provided care to 569 patients infected with Covid 19."
"Upon entering this agreement, never did I imagine my own son would be one of those receiving services," said Dr. Martha Garcia, Superintendent/President, "This site is a reminder some of the decisions we make are dificult ones but our community needs us to move forward. We need the resources and thank the county and IVC Board of Trustees for your support. We are committed to continue to support the community."
Additionally, according to Angulo's letter, "The IVC campus served as a base of operations for the California EMS Authority to deploy hundreds of skilled healthcare workers to support hospital sta ng, was the deployment site for an innovative paramedic home oxygen delivery and monitoring program, and served as a COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic site for the Imperial County Public Health Department."
Angulo noted "Throughout the pandemic, the faculty, sta , administration, and Board of Trustees of Imperial Valley College have continued to demonstrate their dedication to serving our community. Their contributions to the response provided a positive impact to countless lives that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic."