Connect

The below email from Craig Kent, MD, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, is part of an ongoing series to our friends and neighbors in the local area highlighting UVA Health's COVID response and how our organization is poised to serve our patients and the community. To sign up for the UVA Health Community Update, subscribe here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

In recent weeks, fortunately, COVID-19 cases have plateaued in Virginia. Here in our local health district, cases have diminished, resulting in fewer patients requiring hospitalization. Although this is encouraging news, we must remain vigilant and continue to follow the public health guidelines that have led to this success, from mask-wearing to social distancing. COVID-19 is an opportunistic virus waiting for us to take our guard down. Despite safe and effective vaccines and a positive turn in the case numbers, we still have a long journey ahead.

Here is what UVA Health is doing to keep our community safe.

We have some of the world's foremost infectious disease experts and epidemiologists, and their expertise continues to guide UVA Health's strong response to COVID-19. Our numbers of COVID patients remain lower than our peer hospitals around the state, and survival rates for those patients rank among the top academic medical centers across the country. We are also testing an antibody cocktail, which early studies show may prevent symptomatic COVID-19 infections among people exposed to the virus, and offering another promising antibody treatment to high-risk patients. UVA Health researchers are also honing our capabilities to identify virus variants.

Additionally, we have made good on the Virginia Department of Health's charge that we vaccinate as many of our UVA Health team members as quickly as possible. We ran a successful, comprehensive campaign to provide doses to our 15,000 staff, making our hospital and clinics safe for our community.

We are now shifting our focus to expand our partnership with the Blue Ridge Health District, which is leading the process of vaccinating community members. As of writing, UVA Health has administered more than 36,000 doses at the health district's direction — including more than 10,000 doses to people ages 75 and older.

To further support local vaccination efforts, UVA Health partnered with the Blue Ridge Health District to launch a second COVID-19 community vaccination site, which provided its first vaccinations late last month. The new, 25,000-square-foot facility at Seminole Square in Charlottesville is easily accessible via car and public transportation. Thanks to the lessons learned and efficiencies gained by vaccinating our team, we have demonstrated the ability to vaccinate more than 2,000 people daily and will expand the capacity to vaccinate up to 3,000 each day.

Paralleling nationwide restrictions, the Blue Ridge Health District currently has a limited supply of vaccine. This has led to fewer time slots and delayed appointments. I know how frustrating it has been for many eligible residents in our community to have to wait. The Virginia Department of Health anticipates that the state will not expand distribution to further groups until March or April. That said, when more vaccine becomes available in our community, UVA Health and the more than 600 members of our vaccination team will be standing by to administer those doses as quickly and efficiently as possible.

To learn more about vaccination plans in our community — including when, where, and how to get your vaccine — please visit the health district's vaccination website or call 434.972.6261.

While supporting vaccine distribution, we continue to offer free COVID-19 testing at our community testing events. Last month alone, we hosted 12 events and tested more than 1,000 members of our community.

Without diminishing the importance of our COVID-19 work, I want to share some exciting developments at UVA Health that allow us to provide enhanced service and take better care of our community.  We are committed to providing convenient, coordinated care with easy access.

That is why we recently opened a new Breast Care Center on Pantops in Albemarle County. This new facility, located just off Interstate 64 and U.S. 250, has free parking right outside the entrance. Patients will be able to meet with their entire care team in a single clinic appointment at this facility — including surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, genetics, plastic surgery, and radiology.

A similar facility will open next year with our UVA Orthopedics Center Ivy Road, conveniently located near the U.S. 29/U.S. 250 interchange. With 90 exam rooms, four operating rooms, surgery support and imaging services, a retail pharmacy, and food service, this world-class facility will be the ultimate one-stop-shop for patients seeking orthopedic and musculoskeletal care.

As 2021 continues, know there are more exciting updates and innovations to come. Until next month, I wish you and your loved ones health and happiness.

With optimism,

K. Craig Kent, MD
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs
University of Virginia

Meet Our Team: Dr. Sana Syed

To address educational disparities heightened by the pandemic, Dr. Syed, a pediatrician and researcher, led a campaign to deliver science-focused teaching kits to Charlottesville children learning at home. She partnered with Charlottesville City Schools, raising more than $30,000 and delivering more than 2,000 kits to students. Recently, in recognition of her incredible efforts, Dr. Syed was named among the winners of this year's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. University of Virginia Health System Award.

Meet Our Community Partners: Community Mental Health and Wellness Coalition

In this challenging time, UVA Health is proud to partner with the Community Mental Health and Wellness Coalition, a collection of organizations from Charlottesville and the surrounding region working together to raise mental health awareness and wellness in our community. The Coalition created Help Happens Here , an online portal for free or affordable mental health resources. The group also offers special services for coping with the pandemic and a monthly newsletter so you can stay informed.