When the coronavirus pandemic began a year ago, Rachell Dumas was a registered nurse on the front lines, working directly with infected patients. Due to a lack of PPE, she contracted COVID-19. These experiences encouraged her to create Onward Healthcare Solutions and Education LLC (OHSE), an Atlanta-based business and healthcare consulting company that specializes in assisting other businesses with the implementation of COVID-19 preparedness measures.
“When I created this business, I had just returned home from one of the most traumatic experiences in my life, working the front line of a pandemic that was claiming so many lives, in a very short period of time,” said Dumas, owner and chief executive officer of OHSE. “I promised myself that I would make it my duty to assist with flattening the curve in any way that I can.”
OHSE has assisted more than 76 facilities in metropolitan Atlanta implement COVID-19 preparedness measures and helped numerous frontline workers to obtain BLS, ACLS and IV therapy certifications. OHSE staff continue to travel throughout metro Atlanta to complete educational classes for frontline workers and implement infection control and prevention programs within small healthcare facilities.
“We pride ourselves on assisting other businesses with creating safe workspaces in the midst of a pandemic by becoming, and remaining, as prepared as possible,” said Dumas. “We have put together programs that have proven to decrease outbreaks of not only COVID-19, but other infectious diseases including the flu, while also keeping business and their consumers safe.”
Additionally, OHSE has recently developed a scholarship fund for students obtaining healthcare degrees.
“With the pandemic being a constant, we would love to make it a little easier for those students to obtain the materials that they need to obtain these degrees and certifications. They are definitely needed on the frontline, more than ever,” said Dumas.
Who’s helping?
Onward Healthcare Solutions and Education LLC
Services: Onward assists both non-healthcare and healthcare facilities with COVID-19 preparedness measures, infection control and prevention programs, business organization strategies, disaster recovery and emergency preparedness plans, policy and procedure development and health education classes.
Where supplies have gone: OHSE has assisted over 76 facilities in metropolitan Atlanta implement COVID-19 preparedness measures.
How to help: OHSE urges everyone who can do so safely to get a full COVID-19 vaccination to do so, so that we can achieve herd immunity sooner, reduce mortality rates and begin our transition to a normal life. For those who wish to give directly to OHSE, all grants and scholarship donations are greatly appreciated. Where to donate: onwardhealthcaresolutions.com/
How to get help: Any business that may need assistance with the implementation of COVID-19 preparedness measures or would like to be assessed for quality improvement related to the disease can book a facility assessment on OHSE’s website or via email at inquires@onwardhealthcaresolutions.com.
If you are involved in or know of an organization working to bring relief to the Atlanta community during the coronavirus pandemic OR you are with an organization with supplies that you don’t know where to donate, please email us at Shannon.n.Dominy@gmail.com.
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