By Maria Saporta
Business and civic organizations are stepping up to support Grady Hospital as it seeks to meet the medical needs of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bank of America awarded Grady Health System $500,000 to expand critically-needed treatment and testing capacity to support growing patient numbers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The grant will support Grady’s efforts to increase capacity for acute patient care, and to expand in-house testing resources to perform as many as 350 coronavirus tests per day.
“This generous gift from Bank of America directly impacts how we are able to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis and provides critical resources for patient care,” said John Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health System. “We are most fortunate to have such a committed community partner in this most important effort.”
Grady is Georgia’s busiest Level 1 trauma center and is a leader in emergency care, so it is vital that it has the resources to meet the community’s needs. The expected peak in the state’s COVID-19 cases is just a few days away, and Grady needs to maintain the highest level of readiness and access for those who need care.
“We are committed to helping provide the Grady Health Foundation with the resources it needs to support patients in the most vulnerable populations of Atlanta,” said Wendy Stewart, Atlanta market president for Bank of America. “Our support of Grady, and 13 other local organizations that are addressing immediate humanitarian needs, is part of the $1.1 million Bank of America has committed in Atlanta to support and address pressing needs related to the coronavirus.”
The Grady Health Foundation, which raises philanthropic support for the hospital, has reached out to its partners during this time.
Joselyn Butler Baker, president of the Grady Health Foundation, sent out an email to “friends of Grady” saying it is witnessing firsthand the strength and caring in the Atlanta community.
“The most important priority right now for Grady and all hospitals is the health and wellbeing of our frontline teams,” Baker wrote in the email. “Doctors, nurses, EMTs, lab workers, technicians, sanitization crews and others are putting themselves at risk around the clock to treat not only those who are concerned about the novel coronavirus, but also those who need continued critical care due to cancer, stroke, diabetes and many other serious medical conditions.”
She went on to offer ways they can help.
- Stay safe: First and foremost, follow the CDC guidelines for social distancing, handwashing and staying home if you are sick. The easiest and most important thing we can all do is help “flatten the curve.”
- Offer support:If you have a friend, neighbor or family member who is on the frontline – offer your support. These professionals are working long hours with little time off. Going grocery shopping, preparing meals, or helping with childcare will help reduce the added stress of this pandemic.
- Donate supplies: If your business stocked up on supplies such as hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes that you are no longer using, please consider donating them to Grady. Hospitals are facing the same shortages you are seeing in the grocery stores (contact Andrew Roden at ajroden@gmh.edu).
- Donate snacks: Along the same lines, if you have pre-packaged snacks – granola bars, nuts, chips, etc. – that are sitting unused in your breakrooms, they are the perfect pick-me-up for medical professionals who have little to no time to break for an actual meal (again, contact Andrew Roden at ajroden@gmh.edu).
- Give to Grady: Finally, outbreaks like these put incredible financial strain on hospitals, especially safety-net systems like Grady. If you would like to make a financial donation, we have established aCOVID-19 Support Fund to support the increasing cost of overtime, medical equipment, testing and supplies.
- “Grady is strong,” Baker said. “We have a team of incredible leaders and medical professionals who are expertly guiding our health system through this crisis. And, as we have since we opened our doors in 1892, we will continue to treat all who need our care. As a community, we will get through this, together.”
