University Health began managing the COVID-19 crisis in January of 2020, months before admitting our first COVID-19 patient. We created this timeline to recognize all of the many ways the University Health team has led, innovated and adapted to the crisis – in support of our patients and their families, our staff and physicians, and this community.;xNLx;;xNLx;We developed new processes and treatments, launched new technologies and witnessed our team stepping up in extraordinary ways. We also proudly opened one of the first vaccination centers in Texas and played a leadership role in getting hundreds of thousands of people vaccinated.;xNLx;;xNLx;Thank you for your interest. We invite you to learn more about the dedication of this team, and reflect on the impact and tragic toll of this horrible disease.;xNLx;
Roughly 100 passengers from a cruise ship that was carrying roughly 20 people infected with the new coronavirus are headed to Lackland Air Force Base for quarantine, the San Antonio Express-News reported Sunday. Approximately 90 of those passengers are Texans, Gov. Greg Abbott's office said in a statement Sunday.
As of March 13, new patient and visitor screening guidelines went into effect at University Hospital and additional steps were taken to reduce the number of people in the hospital. We are making these types of decisions out of an abundance of caution as the number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 is predicted to continue to grow across the United States and the world.
On Monday, March 16, screening questionnaires at ALL University Health outpatient locations went into effect. Only visitors without symptoms and without exposure or travel history are allowed to enter our facilities. If you have an appointment at one of our clinics and do not wish to come in person, please call your clinic location. They may be able to assist you with setting up a Telehealth appointment where you can still meet with your doctor over the phone.
Due to COVID-19 physical distancing requirements, the decision was made to delay our planned May 2020 launch of Epic. This allowed the training teams time to create online courses for all staff and gave IT teams time to prepare for a physically distanced launch with Epic partners assisting remotely from Wisconsin.
Expanded COVID-19 testing and made it faster
Efforts by a San Antonio team to produce a basic portable ventilator for emergency use are nearing the final approval stages. Skunkworks San Antonio is working with University Health System to test the adaptable emergency ventilator, or AEV, before it’s ready to be manufactured and used.
University Health System on Friday erected a large tent near the Emergency Department entrance at University Hospital in the event of a surge in COVID-19 patients.
With our partners at UT Health San Antonio, we are among the first in the nation to conduct a COVID-19 treatment clinical trial. Dr. Thomas Patterson is leading this study into the effectiveness of the antiviral remdesivir. The first patient was enrolled this week at University Hospital. This study is for hospitalized adult patients who are critically ill. The drug, which affects the virus’s ability to reproduce, has been tested in humans with Ebola. It also has been tested in animals in studies of the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which are caused by other coronaviruses.
Employee Health did multiple days of fit-testing all clinical staff to be sure they had an appropriate N-95 fit for their masks.
University Health launched wayfinding app.
University Health begins a tested process for sterilizing N-95 masks so that they can be reused. This was done during the pandemic when N-95 masks were difficult to find.
We begin educating the public on how to wear a mask
After weeks of planning and preparation, University Health announces that its new Epic launch date will be July 11.
Good news from Dr. Tom Patterson, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UT Health San Antonio, on the Remsdesvir ACTT1 Study as preliminary results were released today. ACTT1 is a Phase 3 study for the treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 with respiratory symptoms great enough to require oxygenation and hospitalization. The
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given emergency approval for remdesivir, an experimental drug that appears to help some coronavirus patients recover faster.
University Hospital was the largest clinical site in the world for the 2nd phase of this study.
As the Thunderbirds soared over University Hospital and the Robert B. Green Campus, we were inspired by their precision and skill. Their flight over San Antonio during Hospital Week honoring each of you and the work you are doing during this pandemic was both moving and uplifting.
all inpatients at University Hospital are being tested for COVID-19. The COVID-19 PUI test should only be ordered for Persons Under Investigation for COVID-19 (PUIs). The test for those without symptoms is the COVID-19 Screening test. A negative COVID-19 test will remain valid for the duration of the patient’s stay with no need for additional testing unless symptoms develop. A positive COVID-19 result is a critical value. The lab will communicate the positive result to the patient’s nurse and/or unit PCC. Nursing will call the appropriate provider notifying them of the result.
This week, University Health System began processing COVID-19 tests from across the state, using expanded capacity that it has been building for several months. Under a $4 million agreement with the State of Texas, University Health System will process up to 1,500 coronavirus samples per day using a cobas 6800 system manufactured by Roche. After the completion of 40,000 tests, the contract can be renewed as needed by the state. Jim Willis, vice president and associate administrator at University Hospital, says the ability to assist the state in processing COVID-19 specimens is the result of realizing months ago that greater coronavirus testing capabilities would be needed. “By proactively upgrading and expanding our testing capabilities, University Health System is in a position to provide much-needed services beyond Bexar County,” said Willis. “Now we can provide COVID testing for the state in addition to having it available for our local community.” With the first novel coronavirus patients in Bexar County, University Health System and its UT Health San Antonio partners increased the capacity of current equipment to ensure their healthcare staff and emergency responders would have ready access to the PCR tests used to detect COVID-19. Then, University Health ordered two new cobas systems which are specifically designed to test for viruses. Specimens collected from numerous locations throughout the state will be consolidated in Austin then shipped to University Health System. Stephanie Whitehead, executive director of Pathology Services, says University Health System expects to produce test results as quickly as within 24 hours. The ability to quickly provide results is an important factor in limiting exposure to the virus. “During a global pandemic, the availability of accurate mass testing enables us to provide proper care and medically respond, which is vital to control the spread,” said Whitehead. “Our laboratory has a very powerful tool which can serve as a first line of defense against COVID-19 in our state,” she said.
University hospital receives new COBAS 6800 processor to increase COVID-19 testing capacity as University Health begins processing COVID-19 tests from across the state.
SeaWorld donates N95 masks to University Health to help out during the mask shortage that happened early in the pandemic.
The $4 million contract comes as Bexar County and Texas are experiencing a spike in Covid-19 cases. The revenue will also offset some of the losses UHS incurred in March and April when Texas hospitals had to postpone elective surgeries and reserve capacity for a potential surge in Covid patients.
University Health worked with other community partners to encourage mask wearing and have others do the same by sharing the story of why they wear the mask.
Beginning next Friday, June 26, all elective surgeries scheduled for University Hospital ORs that require a postoperative inpatient stay are to be cancelled until further notice. CMS Tier 3a or 3b procedures are excluded and should continue to be performed. 3.New procedures requiring a postoperative inpatient stay, and not meeting CMS 3a or 3b criteria, are not to be scheduled. 4.Outpatient elective procedural cases that do not require an inpatient stay can continue to be scheduled all three UH surgical locations (UH, MARC and RBG). "
Patients shared their gratitude to our staff for all they have done during the pandemic so far.
We had an Epic-ally amazing go-live, despite the pandemic. “It takes a true team to pull off a project of this magnitude and to write such a historically successful event in the archives of the Health System,” said Bill Phillips, the Health System CIO who led this effort. “Your efforts will not be forgotten, I am extremely proud of each and every one of you.”
Please welcome the more than 60 nurses, respiratory specialists and physicians who are temporarily working alongside our dedicated teams in the ED and on the COVID-19 floors. These experienced healthcare professionals are part of a large group deployed to San Antonio to help us respond during this sharp increase in hospitalizations. Some are military, from the U.S. Army’s Urban Area Medical Task Force. Others are civilian healthcare workers who have been contracted through the State of Texas. We are very fortunate to be provided with these resources to help us carry out our mission. Let’s be sure they see our University Health System values of helpfulness and compassion in action
Magellan is here! As mentioned on Friday, staff at University Hospital will start seeing a robot and handler wandering the hallways. The robot’s name is Magellan and it will be mapping our 3 million-sq.-ft. hospital for the new University Health Go smartphone app. Watch our video.
The third phase of remdesivir study has begun at University Hospital. In this portion of the fast-moving double-blind study, some patients will receive remdesivir plus interferon beta-1a, a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis. Other patients will receive remdesivir and a placebo. The study is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the NIAID.
Post-COVID-19 patients with persistent symptoms associated with “long COVID” syndrome can now be referred to this new concierge-type Physician Medicine and Rehabilitation Services team.
Univeristy Health and H-E-B collaborated to create multiple flu drives across San Antonio in order to limit the spread of the flu during the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent two spikes of dangerous diseases at the same time.
A 39-year-old Corpus Christi man who received two new lungs at University Hospital after his own were destroyed by the coronavirus urges people to take the pandemic seriously in this San Antonio Express-News story. Jose Sosa’s near-death experience caused him to second-guess his own actions, even though he routinely wore a mask and washed his hands. This double-lung transplant is believed to be the first in South Texas involving a COVID-19 patient.
FDA Approves COVID-19 Drug combination of remdesivir with baricitinib to reduce patient recovery time.
On Nov. 30, University Health’s pharmacy became the central location for gathering the community’s allotments of monoclonal antibody treatments and providing them for the treatment of COVID-positive patients at Freeman Coliseum. Monoclonal antibody infusions have proven effective in preventing patients with mild-to-moderate cases of COVID-19 from needed hospitalization. In the first three months of the infusion center’s operation almost 3,000 COVID-19 patients received monoclonal antibody treatments.
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