While the coronavirus pandemic continues to play out across the world, a number of Gettysburgians are making strides to help combat the spread of the disease. Some are working on the front lines or in support roles at medical facilities, while others play their part from home.
 
Below are a few examples of the great work being done by former and current Gettysburg College student-athletes as well as some words of inspiration during this time of need.
 
Pam Williams Mapstone '88
Women's Lacrosse
Registered Nurse/Nurse Practitioner (Petiatrics)
Golisano Children's Hospital
Syracuse, N.Y.
 
"This will pass and we will recover, but the loss of a senior lacrosse season, 'normal' graduation, etc… is tough. But life is so much bigger than sports or pomp and circumstance. Go out and make an impact on our world like only your generation can do. Your sport and your school have prepared you to do this and I'm so excited to see what you all do!"
 
Amy Stambaugh Green '00
Field Hockey/Women's Lacrosse
Director of Rehabilitation/Physical Therapist
Ageility Physical Therapy Solutions at the Gardens of Gainesville
Gainesville, Ga.
 
"My residents have been isolated to their rooms for the past month with no face-to-face contact with loved ones besides the staff. They are scared, lonely and declining physically at a rapid rate due to this isolation. When I walk into their room each day, they are so happy to see me and talking a mile-a-minute as they finally have face-to-face contact with someone that isn't the four walls of their apartment. Bringing a smile to their face is priceless and I wouldn't trade my job for anything. My residents are my grandparents and I love each one of them!"
 
Sarah Woodbury Riley '10
Softball
Nurse Practitioner
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, Md.
 
"We are working in a heart failure clinic and conducting in-person clinic visits as well as telemedicine visits. Our goal is to keep our heart failure patients out of the ED/hospital. We are able to give IV furosemide (lasix) in clinic to assist with their volume management. A few of our patients have tested positive for COVID-19 and we do our best to support them during this time. Hopkins is doing a phenomenal job with these COVID patients. It is possible that we may get redeployed into new roles over the next few weeks, but we continue to operate our clinic in an attempt to decompress the health system."
 
Kevin Kennedy '11
Men's Basketball
Director of Finance
Tracer Imaging
White Plains, N.Y.
 
"Health care workers, police, firemen and other essential personnel on the front lines do not have the personal protection equipment (PPE) they need to protect themselves and those affected by Coronavirus. These are our mothers, our fathers, our sisters, our brothers, our daughters, our sons, our grandparents, our neighbors, our friends. The Tracer team realized that we can repurpose the PETG material which we use for our photo product into perfect face shields. We are donating our entire current inventory of 200,000 sheets of plastic to make face shields. The plastic by itself doesn't help. We need to finish the job and deliver full face shield kits. We can manufacture tens of thousands of face shields in the next 7-10 days and spin up capacity for perhaps millions in the weeks following. Locally, we are coordinating with the State of New York to distribute these kits when finished. We will also be reaching out to other state governments around the country which are in need of this kind of PPE."
 
Rebecca Rubenstein '12
Volleyball
Emergency Medicine Resident Physician
University of Maryland Medical Center
Baltimore, Md.
 
"I am an Emergency Medicine resident physician in Baltimore, Maryland. Working during this time has been challenging, and inspiring.  I feel very proud to work with our incredible team.  We have an 'all hands on deck' mentality and continue to do everything we can to take the best possible care of our patients. I feel lucky that I have had adequate PPE to continue to do my job, but that does not mean my job is the same as it was, or that I am immune from COVID-19.  Every patient I see puts me and my coworkers at risk. Social/physical distancing gives us the best chance of success, and it is imperative for the safety of our patients, work force, and community." 
 
Hannah Church '12
Women's Lacrosse
Registered Nurse (Pediatrics)
University of Maryland Medical Center Children's Hospital
Baltimore, Md.
 
"It has been amazing to see how generous and thankful everyone has been.  Hard times like this really bring people together.  The love and support I've received has allowed me to step back and be even more thankful for all the amazing people I have in my life."
 
Lizzy Kuhn '14
Volleyball
Physician (Pediatrics)
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pa.
 
"It has been such a whirlwind these past few weeks. On March 18th, CHOP was able to open up the first pediatric mobile COVID testing site! It was amazing working with such a dedicated team of doctors, MAs, nurses, security officers, and facilities employees to implement this project on such short notice. Since then we have been able to test children, who are important carriers of the disease, and get employees who are negative back to work. Now I am back in the hospital on our adolescent floor where we are brushing up on our adult medicine so that we can help our adult colleagues if they need additional hospital beds. It has been inspiring watching the medical community band together to respond to this health crisis as well as to feel the love from the city of Philadelphia."
 
Molly Cherny '18
Student Athletic Trainer
Emergency Medical Scribe/EMT
HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley
Kingston, N.Y.
 
"Working in healthcare right now is hard, and things are changing every day. My shifts have changed hours before their start, policies and guidelines are changing by the hour, and some days the positivity in me barely shows. It's all about adaptability, which is a trait I learned about and grew from at Gettysburg. I am thankful for my health and the health of my coworkers. Nobody truly knows what tomorrow will bring. I hope going forward we can all hold on to our dedication and the little bit of optimism that we need during this time, while still feeling responsible for our actions and holding our colleagues, family, and friends accountable to stay safe."
 
Luke Cooper '19
Men's Basketball
EMT
Atlantic City, N.J.
 
"In my work as an EMT in Atlantic City, COVID-19 has created many challenges for myself and other healthcare providers. Being on the front lines, I have to take extreme precautions, as I could be in contact with COVID-19 and not even know it. As cases become more widespread, protective measures such as gloves, face masks, hand washing, and social distancing are all appreciated by those who have to face working amongst the virus. Not only will protective actions help keep you safe, but it will also help keep the people around you safe. My coworkers and I appreciate the commitment people have made in adapting to the new demands society has placed on us. As a former student-athlete at Gettysburg College, I feel prepared to approach difficult situations like this without hesitation. Stay home, stay safe, and wash your hands!"
 
Jillian Caputo '20
Field Hockey
Haddon Township, N.J.
 
"I have been able to sew since I was in high school and my job on campus is actually in the costume shop so working on a sewing machine was not new to me. With so many friends working as nurses, OR technicians, and other health care workers, in addition to my future career goals in the health field, I wanted to help the medical community any way I could while I was at home. As soon as it became clear making homemade cloth masks would be allowed by the hospitals, I started to make the masks with supplies I already had. I am so glad I could help in some small way. Between myself and a group of friends in my town, we have supplied countless cloth masks and face shields by sharing our resources and helping distribute to many in need."