Writer  Julian Hazen

Contact  Joe Dennis 

Telephone 706-778-8500

Cell 706-296-3832

Email jdennis@piedmont.edu For Release Time

Website http://www.joedennis.com October 15th, 2020

Global Handwashing Day

Piedmont College to bring awareness to hand washing on Oct. 15

Demorest, Georgia, Sept. 20, 2020 — With a global pandemic threatening everyone’s well-being, Dr. Julia Schmitz and Piedmont College are hoping to spread awareness about the importance of handwashing.

“Y’all are going to think differently about washing your hands, that’s my goal,” said Dr. Julia Schmitz, associate professor of biology at Piedmont College.

With COVID-19 running rapidly through the world for the last couple of months, a small holiday like Global Handwashing Day has brought a new seriousness with it. People usually wash their hands every once in a while when they remember, but unfortunately, that’s not enough to stop the spread of coronavirus. With even more dangerous diseases out there spreading by the minute, something like washing your hands is not as trivial as it used to be. Piedmont College will be celebrating Global Handwashing Day on Thursday, Oct. 15 to bring awareness to the importance of handwashing. 

It is not only about how, when washes their hands, it is also about how often. The consistency and frequency play large roles in how effective washing your hands can be. 

“I tried to wash my hands every time I use the restroom before eating and after touching public surfaces,” said Doctor Joe Dennis, assistant mass communications professor at Piedmont College.

Through an on-site event, handwashing day is not only going to teach people how often and how to wash their hands properly; it’s also going to teach them the importance of this in different workspaces. Schmidt is also using her microbiology class helps conduct experiments to show how improperly washing your hands can leave you at risk from multiple different germs. This event will be able to provide students with plenty of educational material to be able to understand and change how they have been conducting their handwashing so far.   

For more information on how to properly conduct handwashing, please come out to the global handwashing day event on October 15th at Piedmont College if you are a resident or staff. For more information about Global Handwashing Day, visit https://globalhandwashing.org/global-handwashing-day/.

About Piedmont College One of the most dynamic small colleges in the Southeast, Piedmont, is an independent liberal arts college of more than 2,260 students. The college’s four schools—Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, and Nursing & Health Sciences—develop tomorrow’s leaders by engaging students in the classroom, in their community, and around the world. Founded in 1897, Piedmont offers bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, and doctoral degree programs at its Demorest residential campus in the foothills of the northeast Georgia mountains and at its Athens campus in the heart of Georgia’s Classic City. Information can be found at http://www.piedmont.edu.

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