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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,

A year ago this month, the first COVID-19 case was reported in Charlottesville. Since then, so much has changed at UVA Health. I am proud of how we as a community have embraced the challenges brought on by the pandemic, adapting and innovating quickly, responding to both needs and opportunities.

Let me provide a few striking examples that highlight our steadfast commitment to provide high-quality care to our community members during one of the most dire health crises of our generation. Early in the pandemic, instead of waiting for commercial supply chains, UVA Health was the first institution in the state to develop its own COVID-19 test. Moreover, we ramped up our testing capacity so rapidly that we offered our services to other hospitals around the state and beyond. Soon after, to provide the safest and best care for an increasing number of COVID-19 patients in our area, we opened our new 84-bed tower two months ahead of schedule with custom retrofitted rooms to limit airflow. Later, to keep our community safe, we partnered with the local health district to begin hosting free testing events every weekday. More recently, when our community needed to scale up vaccine distribution, we helped open a COVID-19 Vaccination Center in a vacant commercial storefront.

Among the innovations that may have the most lasting impact is our increased use of telehealth. In the four months following the pandemic's start, our number of virtual care visits increased elevenfold over the prior year. This includes remote monitoring and home telehealth programs for patients with serious and chronic conditions, including COVID-19 and diabetes. Additionally, we have now expanded our telehealth services to include routine virtual visits — by either video chat or phone call — to clinical specialists, primary care physicians, and urgent care providers.

The flexibility provided by telehealth is still relatively new for both our providers and patients, but the potential for its use is limitless. For example, on a snowy day last month, UVA Primary Care Riverside was able to shift many of its routine in-person appointments to virtual visits to accommodate patients who did not feel safe traveling. This is just the beginning; we will be rolling out some exciting developments to make telehealth services easier to schedule and access in the months ahead. I cannot wait to share those details with you.

I also want to share updates about the current state of COVID-19. Cases in our local health district are dropping, mirroring declines across the state. Hospitalizations at UVA Health have dropped significantly.

While this is good news, our infectious diseases researchers estimate that just under 20 percent of Virginians have been exposed to the virus. These findings only underscore the need for as many of us as possible to get vaccinated. UVA Health continues to do its part, assisting the Blue Ridge Health District as it leads vaccine distribution in our community. So far, our 800-member volunteer vaccinator team has distributed more than 59,000 total doses, including more than 31,000 doses to community members, mostly individuals age 75 and older.

In addition to our work at the COVID-19 Vaccination Center at Seminole Square, we are also working closely with the local health district to ensure equal access to and distribution of the vaccine to eligible residents by hosting pop-up vaccine clinics to better reach Black and Latinx community members who are experiencing the highest rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Still, we all must continue to exercise caution to prevent the virus's spread. That means continuing to wear masks, keeping distance from others, avoiding indoor gatherings, and getting tested. This is especially true with more transmissible variants of the virus emerging, one of which was recently identified in our community. Nevertheless, as our infectious disease experts explain, the current vaccines are effective against many variants — and for those variants that are more resistant, the vaccines still limit severe reactions to the disease.

As vaccine supply increases in our area, UVA Health will continue to support the Blue Ridge Health District's vaccination efforts with our people, resources, and expertise. If you have not already, please visit the new Vaccinate Virginia website or call (877) VAX-IN-VA to pre-register to receive your vaccine.

Wishing you and your loved ones health and happiness,

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

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For the past 10 years, Dr. Jeff Elias has been using cutting-edge ultrasound technology to treat patients with essential tremor, a condition similar to Parkinson's disease that impacts roughly 10 million people nationally. Dr. Elias, the director of UVA’s Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery department, has been a pioneer in focused ultrasound technology, leading UVA Health to become an epicenter for ultrasound treatment and surgery. This surgery is less invasive than traditional surgery, allowing patients to experience positive life-changing benefits with fewer side effects and shorter recovery times. 

Meet Our Community Partners: The Haven

The Haven is an incredible organization that endeavors to end homelessness in the Charlottesville area. Founded by a UVA alum, the Haven serves as a day shelter and social resource center, providing housing resources to those in need. UVA Health is proud to partner with the Haven to run the UVA Community Outreach Clinic and provide basic primary care services and assistance with healthcare navigation. Thanks to the Haven staff and to our family, internal, and psychiatric medicine students, residents, and attendings who volunteer their time to help out at the clinic.