Dear Hal,
Every day we learn more about COVID-19 — how to slow its spread and how to minimize its impact on our communities. At OHSU we are working together and providing leadership to the State of Oregon on how to care for patients, protect our health care workers, fight the pandemic and, most importantly, save lives.
Today, I want to share a brief update with you on two of the many ways we are on the frontline of care and research in these unprecedented times.
OHSU has launched a clinical microbiology lab (image from link added on right) that will enable the university to test COVID-19 samples on campus, rather than ship them to an outside lab.
Fully compliant with federal testing guidelines, the new lab is taking the time for a result down from 5 days to 5 hours.
The lab started from nothing; it was constructed, stocked, staffed and operational in just 14 days.
As a result, this last weekend we increased our capacity to test 800 samples each day. The process has been powered by a team of clinical pathologists and OHSU scientists who came together in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Generous gifts from donors have helped make this new biomedical lab possible. Donations are also helping to expand our capacity to offer diagnostic testing to more patients and health care providers — a continuing area of focus and priority at OHSU.
Another development on the front lines includes the Connected Care Center (image from link added on right), a new hotline and telemedicine service for OHSU patients with questions regarding COVID-19.
The hotline, funded by a $1.6 million donation from the Andrew and Corey Morris-Singer Foundation, will expand patient access to health care professionals across Oregon — keeping patients safely at home when appropriate, segregating ill patients into a respiratory clinic, and providing invaluable information to the ‘worried well’.
Now more than any time in recent history, our health care workforce is at the front lines of a major health pandemic — and I’m incredibly grateful for all we have been able to accomplish together.
Led by caring and compassion, driven by collaboration and dedication, and fueled by philanthropy, OHSU is leading the way in preparing for and responding to COVID-19.
All of this means we are able to best help you protect your health, and care for our patients across Oregon and beyond — and that’s our highest priority.
Thank you for choosing OHSU.
Most sincerely,
John Hunter, MD, FACS
CEO, OHSU Health