Aviva Health Receives Funding to Support COVID-19 Response

(Release) ROSEBURG, Ore. – Aviva Health received $60,112 in funding from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services to respond to and prepare for the local impact of COVID-19, also called coronavirus. The allocation was a part of a nationwide funding stream of $100 million to support health centers across the country to address screening and testing needs, acquire medical supplies and boost telehealth capacity in response to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. While welcome, the funding will fall well short of covering the entire cost of Aviva Health’s response to the virus. “Aviva Health began planning efforts related to coronavirus several weeks ago before the virus ever encroached the boundaries of Douglas County,” says Edward Larsen, chief operating officer of Aviva Health. “The federal assistance is appreciated, and we have confidence the state and federal governments will continue to support our efforts to protect our community and its health care workforce.” The timing of the release of this emergency allocation could not have been better. “This supplemental funding comes at a crucial point for Aviva Health and Douglas County,” says Larsen. “While we’re quietly optimistic early efforts to squash the local spread of the disease will prove effective, we have to prepare for what might be an event that has an overwhelming impact on the local health care delivery system.” To that end, Aviva Health has for weeks now been working with Douglas Public Health Network (DPHN) and a variety of other regional health care institutions to develop a response to the virus. Aviva Health has made investments of human capital in the DPHN hotline, a resource that has fielded hundreds of calls over the past several days, screening and triaging individuals who are showing symptoms of COVID-19. Staff from all levels of Aviva Health have also been instrumental in the standing up of the drive-through testing facility at the fairgrounds and a variety of other initiatives aimed at fortifying the medical community in advance of the potential for wider spread of the virus within the county. Aviva Health has established a COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Comprised of internal staff and important health partners throughout the county, the EOC follows a daily battle rhythm that is equal parts information gathering, information sharing and crisis planning. More will be shared in the coming days as those plans are finalized and implemented. In the meantime, community members who have questions about or are concerned they have coronavirus should call the DPHN Coronavirus Hotline at (541) 464-6550. For more information, please visit www.aviva.health/coronavirus. ABOUT AVIVA HEALTH Founded in 1991, Aviva Health is an independent, board-governed, not-for-profit organization that cares for the people of Douglas County by providing high-quality, patient-centered, accessible and affordable medical, dental and behavioral healthcare, regardless of their ability to pay. As Douglas County’s only Oregon Health Authority recognized Tier 5 Patient-centered Primary Care Home, Aviva Health offers integrated services from eight clinic sites in Roseburg, Myrtle Creek, Sutherlin, Glide and North Douglas County (Drain), including a Teen Health Center located on the campus of Roseburg High School. In 2020, Aviva Health, in partnership with Mercy Medical Center, will launch the Roseburg Family Medicine Residency Program where physicians will train over a three-year period to provide exceptional clinical care to children and adults living in rural locations.