Personal protective equipment, or PPE, has become a major topic of conversation on the local, state and national levels as the global coronavirus pandemic continues to develop.

PPE is simply the gloves, masks, gowns and other equipment that nurses, doctors and care providers use to protect their patients and themselves from the spread of an infectious illness.

At 2 p.m. today, April 2, Infection Preventionist Monica Claflin will offer a live-streamed demonstration and explanation of the PPE used by care staff at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon, which has seen 15 confirmed COVID-19 cases since March 11.

This demonstration will be staged at the Home, but attendance by the public and media will be virtual only due to the social distancing guidelines and lock-down protocols currently in place. It will be streamed live on the Lebanon Veterans’ Home Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lebanonveteranshome.

Media questions may be sent in advance to Tyler Francke at tyler.francke@state.or.us. Media questions during the live event, which is expected to last only 15 minutes, may be texted to 971-239-6640.