Twenty-two
school
nurses
from
Prince
William
County
Public
Schools
(PWCS)
have
signed
up
to
volunteer
through
the
Virginia
Medical
Reserve
Corps
(MRC)
to
help
staff
the
Prince
William
Health
District
Call
Center
and
provide
other
services
as
needed
during
the
current
pandemic.
"It
is
necessary
to
have
a
call
center
available
to
answer
questions
from
residents,"
said
Sherrie
Johnson,
spokesperson
and
director
of
communications
for
Prince
William
County
Government.
"The
goal
is
to
keep
people
informed
and
provide
necessary
information
to
keep
families
safe
and
help
alleviate
fear.
We
are
appreciative
of
all
of
the
individuals
volunteering
to
work
in
the
call
center."
Diana
Fening
has
been
the
school
nurse
at
Occoquan
Elementary
School
for
about
18
years,
and
she
is
answering
phones
two
or
three
times
per
week.
"It
is
hard
to
watch
other
nurses
in
the
trenches
and
not
be
able
to
do
something,"
said
Fening.
"It
is
a
great
way
to
give
back
to
the
community."
Kati
Karamanis
has
been
a
nurse
for
PWCS
for
nine
years,
serving
the
past
three
at
Freedom
High
School.
"Being
a
nurse
is
not
something
that
we
do.
It's
not
a
job
that
we
have.
It
is
who
we
are,"
she
said.
"I
cannot
sit
idly
by
and
not
try
to
support
the
community."
Katharine
O'Shea
has
been
a
nurse
at
Patriot
High
School
for
two
years.
She
previously
served
two
years
as
the
nurse
at
Potomac
High
School.
"In
an
emergency
like
this,
I
think
it
is
important
to
be
able
to
use
my
skills
to
help
my
community
however
I
can,"
she
said.
"Seeing
my
fellow
nurses
dealing
with
this
crisis
makes
me
want
to
help
more.
We
are
all
in
this
together,
and
we
can
get
through
this
if
we
work
together
to
help."
Mar
Tortajada
has
been
the
school
nurse
at
Gainesville
Middle
School
for
the
past
three
years.
She
worked
for
25
years
in
a
hospital
setting
before
coming
to
Gainesville
Middle.
"I
have
chosen
to
volunteer
as
a
nurse
for
the
Virginia
Medical
Reserve
Corps
because
I
want
to
serve
our
health
district
population
with
my
nursing
and
bilingual
skills
during
this
COVID-19
pandemic,"
she
said.
Charity
Nwanevu
is
the
school
nurse
for
the
Division's
newest
school
-
John
D.
Jenkins
Elementary
School.
She
previously
worked
as
the
nurse
at
Woodbridge
High
School
and
C.D.
Hylton
High
School.
She
has
been
a
member
of
the
Virginia
Medical
Reserve
Corps
for
10
years.
"In
the
past
10
years, I
have
provided
health
education
classes
(CPR/BLS/First
Aid)
in
the
community
including
the
library,
churches
and
cultural
centers,"
she
said.
"For
the
COVID-19,
I'm
participating
in
webinars,
keeping
in
contact
with
nurses
and
making
myself
available
for
online
services
and
telehealth
training
for
the
health
department
and providers
in
the
community
that
wish
to
initiate
telehealth
services
for
their
offices
and/or
their
clients."
Tina
Fairbanks
has
worked
for
PWCS
for
18
years
and
has
been
the
nurse
at
Battlefield
High
School
since
it
opened
in
2004.
"I
registered
to
volunteer
with
Medical
Reserve
Corp
because
I
have
a
skill
set
that
is
needed
during
many
events
and
emergencies
especially
now
during
the
COVID-19
Pandemic,"
she
said.
"I
am
currently
awaiting
assignment/activation
from
the
Greater
Prince
William
Medical
Reserve
Corp.
I'm
ready
and
prepared
to
assist
in
anyway
needed."
Glorya Jordan is in her first year as a nurse at Rockledge Elementary School. She has a decade of experience of open heart/critical care nursing.
"I am volunteering my time because we all can do something to help our community through this crisis," she said. "I may not be in the hospital on the very front lines, but I can walk with citizens through the unknown. Knowledge is power and it helps people feel more in control of a situation that is completely outside of their control when they know how to best care for their family and loved ones."
Patricia
Tipmongkol
is
a
part-time
support
nurse
who
works
at
the
middle
and
high
schools.
"I
find
it
gratifying
to
help
in
any
way
possible,"
she
said.
"Volunteering
at
the
Prince
William
Health
District
Call
Center
is
a
wonderful
way
to
connect
with
our
community
by
providing
helpful
guidance
and
reassurance
at
times.
We
are
in
this
together."