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News

Fighting COVID-19 and eliminating health disparities

August 2020

The 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment confirmed there are several areas in Dallas County experiencing a lack of access to healthcare; as well as significant health disparities by race and ethnicity and by geographic location within the county. The prevalence of COVID-19 throughout Dallas County has exposed vulnerabilities many Dallas County residents face as denoted in the Community Health Needs Assessment—underscoring the strategic work Parkland has embarked upon to strengthen residents access to quality, compassionate and innovative healthcare.

Below is an interview conducted with Dr. Michael Horne, president and CEO at Parkland Foundation and Dr. Fred Cerise, president and CEO at Parkland Health & Hospital System.

Q: How has Parkland responded to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Dr. Cerise: Parkland stands ready and prepared to meet the healthcare needs of our community as part of our mission to care for anyone in need and protect the health of our community. As cases of COVID-19 reached North Texas, we were ready to respond.

  • As the world was watching the virus spread closer to the United States, we set up a command center to begin preparing for cases in Dallas County.
  • When COVID-19 positive patients required hospitalization, we created a separate tactical care unit (TCU) to provide specialized care and have since expanded that unit to include four locations in the hospital based on the level of care needed.
  • Parkland facilitated and expanded drive-through and walk-up COVID-19 testing in Dallas County to help detect positive cases early to help slow the spread of the virus.
  • Currently, Parkland facilitates 40-50% of the COVID-19 testing across Dallas County.
  • To keep patients and caregivers safe, we implemented a no visitor policy in the hospital and provided iPads to patients in the TCU so they can stay connected with their loved ones and their care teams. In the general hospital rooms, patients can hold video calls with their family and friends through a special Parkland app on their room television.

Additionally, Parkland’s COVID-19 response has been true to our mission to care for our most vulnerable neighbors in need. By using technology and advanced analytics, we have been able to identify emerging high-risk areas and prioritize testing in those communities. Moreover, we’re using that data to deliver targeted health education messaging to our neighbors through text messages, print and radio advertisements, and virtual town halls to elevate the importance of non-pharmaceutical practices such as wearing masks, social distancing and washing their hands to slow the spread of the virus.

Q: How has the pandemic impacted the way Parkland delivers care in the community?

Dr. Cerise: The pandemic shed a bright spotlight on the many health disparities we already knew existed in Dallas County. There are areas in which our neighbors face unique barriers when seeking care – language, lack of transportation, child care issues – which can result in devastating outcomes for patients and families.

At Parkland, we are addressing these disparities by establishing and expanding our presence in communities facing the most detrimental health disparities. By working with community members and organizations in targeted ZIP codes identified in the Community Health Needs Assessment, we’ve identified how Parkland can best serve their needs and are working to build the infrastructure to improve the health of the neighborhood. One example of this is our work with the ReImagine RedBird development. As part of our plan to increase access to healthcare services in southern Dallas, Parkland is building the RedBird Health Center.

In addition, the nature of COVID-19 required us to create alternatives to traditional healthcare visits. In an effort to reduce face-to-face interactions, more than half of our visits at our community health centers are now virtual visits conducted via video and telephone.

CLearn more about how Parkland is using technology to address health disparities and fight COVID-19.

Q: How can philanthropy help Parkland keep our community healthy?

Dr. Horne: The response from our generous community has been tremendous. To date, more than $4.5 million has been donated to the Public Health Preparedness Fund to meet our most urgent needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Donations have funded our community testing sites, state-of-the-art testing machines and testing supplies, childcare support for our critical frontline healthcare workers, and more.

We know COVID-19 will be a part of our landscape for the foreseeable future. As confirmed cases and hospitalizations in our county rise, we need the support of our neighbors to continue to provide the quality, compassionate care that our patients need and deserve. There are several areas of need you can support and we invite you to learn more by visiting www.IStandforParkland.org/AreasofNeed.

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Parkland Health Foundation
1341 W. Mockingbird Ln.
Suite 1100E
Dallas, Texas 75247
Phone: 214-266-2000
Fax: 214-266-2050
ParklandHealthFoundation@phhs.org

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