Region Comes Together for Crisis Response Effort
Almost immediately after Greater Cincinnati began reacting to the COVID-19 threat with social distancing and self-quarantine, UC Health felt the support from the community.
In its first eight weeks, more than 500 supporters donated over $311,500 to the UC Health Crisis Response Fund. The effort further sparked major gifts, for a total of $1.3 million in gifts as of May 15, 2020.
Donations to the crisis response effort have supported the rapid expansion of personal protective equipment (PPE) across the health system, including the purchase of 21,000 N95 masks.
It is so meaningful to see our community come together to help one another during these unsettling times,... We are deeply grateful to our supporters. They not only provided much-needed supplies, they showed our healthcare teams and frontline responders that Cincinnati stands behind them.
Donor funds also supported the launch of drive-thru testing tents outside UC Medical Center and West Chester Hospital, open by appointment.
The drive-thru testing tent and clinic minimizes the number of patients directed to physician offices or the Emergency Department for screening and testing, lowering the risk of transmission in those settings.
“We are immensely grateful for the quick response from the community,” says Arthur Pancioli, MD, professor and Richard C. Levy Chair of Emergency Medicine at the UC College of Medicine and a UC Health physician. “Our top priority remains the safety of our patients and our healthcare teams as we deliver lifesaving care. Donors are directly supporting this work and we thank them.”
The UC Health Crisis Response fund, set up in March 2020 by the University of Cincinnati Foundation, supports the immediate work of UC Health to respond to COVID-19, including areas of emerging and critical need. To learn more, visit foundation.uc.edu/UCHCrisisResponse.