In addition, the university is working with the Town of Hamden to make 50 university-owned apartments available to first responders in need of living space as they self-isolate away from home.

“Quinnipiac has my most sincere appreciation for supporting the Town of Hamden’s emergency assistance request by making 50 university-owned apartments available as needed to first responders who need a place to self-isolate after potential exposure to COVID-19,” said Hamden Mayor Curt Leng. “Their true partnership during this time is essential and I am so thankful they immediately stepped to the plate to help as we work to maintain the health of our first responders and our community.”

The 50 apartments are in the university’s Whitney Village housing complex and each unit offers a single bedroom and bathroom and has its own, separate entrance to ensure a safe environment for police and firefighters to use as needed.

Using resources of Quinnipiac’s Nursing, Health Sciences and Medical Schools, the university also recently delivered a wide variety of medical supplies to health care professionals throughout the state, including approximately 30,000 surgical and non-surgical gloves, 480 surgical and N95 masks, 400 gowns, 250 shoe covers and 40 bottles of hand sanitizer.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to help our local communities, first responders, and health professionals as we all join together to fight this unprecedented health care crisis,” said Quinnipiac University President Judy Olian. “First responders are on the frontline and our housing helps sustain their efforts to keep people safe and healthy.”

Lastly, more than two dozen Quinnipiac facilities workers spent the past week collecting food items from university buildings and residence halls for local food banks and pantries. Among the items donated: pizza, frozen meat, frozen fruit and vegetables, chicken wings, English muffins, veggie burgers, macaroni and cheese, Lean Cuisines, and even frozen shrimp and salmon. Additional items were donated by Quinnipiac Dining.

“Quinnipiac University is committed to doing whatever it can to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, keep the community safe and assist those experiencing food insecurity,” said Lisa O’Connor, dean of the School of Nursing and a member of the Quinnipiac’s Coronavirus Task Force. “We are grateful to the hard-working medical professionals, and longtime partners to the university, who are on the frontline delivering critical patient care.”