News Briefs for March 26, 2020
News reports from Adventist Health Bakersfield; Southern Adventist University; Berlin, Germany; the Columbia Union Conference and Pacific Press:
According to KGET 17, owners of the restaurant Umi Sushi and Sake have donated surgical masks to Adventist Health Bakersfield, in Kern County, California. Hospital CEO Sharlett Briggs described the gift as being extremely generous, especially given the financial hit restaurants are taking during the coronavirus outbreak.
From an SAU press release – Southern Adventist University’s School of Nursing donated personal protective equipment to two local hospitals, CHI Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga and AdventHealth Gordon in Calhoun, Georgia.
The supplies included N95 and surgical masks, gowns, and gloves, which would ordinarily be used in simulation exercises in the university’s nursing skills lab. With Southern’s transition to distance learning for the remainder of the semester, the School of Nursing wanted to put the supplies to good use and reached out to some of their local healthcare partners.
The Adventist Hospital in Berlin has opened a coronavirus emergency room. The dedicated ER is on the campus of the award-winning, Adventist-owned, Waldfriede hospital in Berlin-Zehlendorf. A pandemic crisis team has been assembled to address the constantly-evolving situation. The APD reports that the hospital currently has two coronavirus patients in intensive care. Up to 60 procedures are being canceled per day at the hospital to focus on the crisis.
From the CUC – Leaders of the Columbia Union Conference and its eight local conferences, health care networks and higher educational institutions are asking members to participate in a special day of prayer, Sabbath, March 28.
This comes as the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis intensifies, leaving churches and schools closed; numerous upcoming alumni weekends, graduations, camp meetings and summer camps canceled; and more and more people becoming ill and dying every day.
“As people of faith, we believe that despite all that is happening right now, God is in control. And we believe in the power of prayer. As we read the Bible and claim His promises, we want to ‘pray without ceasing’ (1 Thess. 5:17) for our members, neighbors and communities; for those who are vulnerable and have underlying conditions; and for everyone who has been impacted by this terrible virus,” says Dave Weigley, president. “We also want to pray for government officials, community leaders, first responders, health care workers and scientists who are leading the fight against it.”
From Pacific Press — On March 25, 2020, Idaho Governor Brad Little announced a stay-at-home order for individuals and non-essential businesses within the state of Idaho. As a result, we are temporarily ceasing on-site operations at Pacific Press Publishing Association effective immediately.
Orders placed via AdventistBookCenter.com will continue to be routed to retail locations for fulfillment as usual. However, some of these stores may experience inventory issues, resulting in shipping delays.
Customers will find many of our products available as e-books at Adventist-eBooks.com, downloadable any time.