April 21, 2020
by Dan Lemle
The COVID-19 public health crisis continues to add new pressures to our national health care system and the daily lives of all Americans. Developing effective prevention and treatment methods has become a central focus of the entire health care industry.
The Alliance of Community Health Plans’ (ACHP) nonprofit, community-based health organizations and their provider partners are reacting quickly to develop solutions to protect their communities and the public health. For example:
- Kaiser Permanente launched the very first COVID-19 vaccine trial
- UPMC is partnering with other health organizations on a pilot program to treat COVID-19 patients with blood plasma donated by people who have recovered from the disease. This promising treatment is anticipated to greatly speed recovery time until a cure is found
- Sanford Health, the largest provider of rural health care in the country, will lead a comprehensive clinical trial investigating the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to understand its role in treating and potentially preventing COVID-19
- Geisinger Health has established its’ first-ever contact tracing program to help slow and ultimately stop the spread of COVID-19. The program involves identifying individuals who have tested positive for the virus and mapping how many people they’ve been in contact with
ACHP members are also providing enhanced telehealth, behavioral health and testing resources, among others.
COVID-19 continues to be a formidable challenge to our nation’s health care system. Rooted in the communities they serve, ACHP members are taking the lead on developing and deploying real-time solutions to secure the health and safety of their members.
Additional information on efforts of ACHP plans and their affiliated systems during this public health crisis is available here.
