As COVID-19 cases are rising in the state, patients should not be afraid to seek medical care, said the head of the Health System Alliance of Arizona whose members are among the largest hospital systems and top employers in the state. 

“We are particularly concerned about folks who have diabetes, hypertension, underlying health conditions, that they might be scared to seek routine medical care and that there are others that may have acute medical needs, that they may be scared to obtain  medical care,” Jennifer Carusetta, director of the alliance, said Monday. 

Carusetta said that while coronavirus cases are posting high numbers right now, hospitals have the capacity to handle them.  

“I think it is really important to emphasize that protecting our patients’ health and safety is always our top priority. It was our top priority before the pandemic and it continues to be our top priority now,” Carusetta said.

The alliance represents five large hospital systems in Arizona: Banner Health, HonorHealth, Dignity Health, Tenet Healthcare and Northern Arizona Healthcare. 

Between them, they operate more than 80 acute hospitals and medical facilities in the state and employ more than 50,000 Arizonans. 

Uptick in cases was expected 

Hospital systems along with state officials have put measures in place over the last few months to prepare for expected surges in May and June, public health officials said Friday during a press conference about the recent spikes in cases. 

To avert a crisis, hospital and health officials are renewing their call to the public to double down on hand washing, face coverings and social distancing to keep the numbers in check. The healthcare system cannot do it alone. 

If capacity gets too low, hospitals are under emergency order to reduce elective surgery admissions to free up beds for COVID-19. 

A rise in was not unexpected, Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) said at the Friday with Governor Doug Ducey. As of Monday, Arizona has had 27,678 cases with 1,047 deaths.

A number of factors are contributing including the lifting of the stay-at-home order on May 15, Christ said. 

Arizona is also in its sixth week of a statewide “testing blitz,” Gov. Ducey said. As of Monday, more than 402,000 COVID-19 tests and antibody tests had been conducted.

Included in that testing has been the state’s intense effort to test staff and patients at long term facilities statewide. DHS is on target to have all facilities tested by July 11, Christ said. 

Surge system in place to allow for quick transfer of patients

In April, the state DHS and hospital partners created the Arizona Surge Line to have the ability to quickly admit, transfer and discharge COVID-19 patients to appropriate levels of care should cases spike.

So far, the Surge Line service has assisted 583 hospital patients including transferring over 500 patients to an appropriate placement, Ducey said. 

Last week, the DHS also unveiled a new improved method for determining inpatient and ICU bed availability to better react to surges. The updated method is now posted in the section of the agency’s dashboard.

Hospitals using telehealth, new technology to adapt   

Hospitals have also adjusted the way they provide care, including increased sanitary measures, required screening for the coronavirus upon entry, and investments in virtual and other technology to protect patients and staff.

HonorHealth, for example, is one of a few hospital systems in the country that has over 30 germ-zapping robots. Made possible by donors, the small robots use high-intensity ultraviolet light to disinfect a patient room in just minutes.

To encourage social distancing, Dignity Health is offering anyone a free virtual care visit through the end of the month if they or a family member is exhibiting mild COVID-19 symptoms such as low-grade fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. Anyone can speak with a healthcare provider on their phone or device for free with an online .

Banner, one of the largest nonprofit hospital systems in the country, announced last week a rapid, expansive deployment of telehealth in the acute-care setting. Hospitalists and specialists at all 28 Banner Health hospitals now can conduct virtual patient visits on COVID-19 units. Now, Banner is bringing virtual technology to the ICU.

Physicians in the hospital can conduct a thorough exam without entering a patient room. They can check on their patients at any time, including talking with them, viewing their vital sign monitors and, using the advanced camera option, can zoom in close enough to even check a patient’s pupils. 

Public asked to continue social distancing

Gov. Ducey said Friday that the state is doing “everything possible” to reduce the spread of the virus and will continue to monitor the situation. The state has not reached the desired goal of 14 straight days of downward trajectory, said the governor, who called on citizens to help keep the disease from spreading. 

The Centers for Disease Control for preventing the spread include:

• Wash hands often and use 60-percent alcohol-based hand sanitizers 
• Avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact
• Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings
• Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Throw used tissues in the trash
• Monitor health for symptoms and stay home if ill

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As testing for COVID-19 in Maricopa County and across the state increases, public health officials are sprinting to hire more contact tracing employees to be able to track every person who has had contact with an infected person. 

Contact tracing is considered an effective tool in the arsenal to fight the disease’s spread. Employees work by phone with infected patients to discover everyone they had contact with who may have been exposed. 

Last week, the county approved hiring 60 employees to add to the tracking team, said County Supervisor Bill Gates, who also is a member of the county Board of Health.  

“Contact tracing is a key piece of reopening the economy and being successful and being safe,” Gates said. “We’re increasing our capability to contact trace eight to 10 times over what we’ve been doing.” 

Coronavirus tracking apps could be coming in the future

Across the U.S., health departments are scaling up contact tracing as well. 

Many and some states also are turning to contact tracing apps to help reduce the spread of Covid-19 and get their societies back up and running. While their functions vary, the basic concept is to allow people to voluntarily use their smartphones to automatically trace their encounters with others. 

They use either a GPS-based or Bluetooth approach, or a combination of both, for tracking people who have been in contact with infected patients. 

Currently, Apple and Google are among the companies working to perfect a for health agencies that will have enhanced privacy features.  

Maricopa County Public Health officials would consider using technology to help with contact tracing if it is proven safe and effective, said the county’s communications director, Fields Moseley.

“Maricopa County wants to reach and help as many people as possible who might be at risk. At the same time, we will only use technology that is proven to work well, fits into our business operation and will protect people’s privacy,” Mosely said. 

County hiring for contact tracing team

For now, health officials are focused on and training workers to call infected patients and trace who they have had contact with in the past two or three weeks in case they need to quarantine during the 14-day infection phase. 

“This is painstaking work but it’s so important,” Supervisor Gates said. “We will staff up as much as we need to.”

The health department has done contact tracing for every confirmed case of COVID-19, beginning with the first case Jan. 26, Gates said. As testing numbers have soared, so has the need for more contact tracing workers. 

Last week, the county posted multiple job descriptions for a variety of positions. More than 300 applications have been received. On Monday, 20 new hires were in place. Epidemiologists, investigators and support staff are among those being hired. 

The county also is contracting with the nonprofit Crisis Response Network, or 211, to help with the effort. Crisis hotline workers already are fielding calls from anyone who has questions about the coronavirus.

How contact tracing works 

Contact tracing is conducted by trained investigators who must act as “part public health, part detective and part social worker,” the public health department said in a statement announcing the hiring effort. 

“They must work closely and quickly with positive cases to establish trust, uncover as much information as possible, and then decipher this information to put it into public health interventions.”  

There are a series of steps that must be taken including:

• After a positive case is reported, an investigator reaches out to the individual by phone and conducts an extensive interview to determine who they have had contact with in the prior two to three weeks.
• The investigator then reaches out to any family members and health care providers who  may have been exposed. After that, casual contacts and businesses are contacted to warn them of potential exposure.
• If a contact is required to be quarantined, the investigator will help to ensure the contact’s basic needs, including healthcare and food, are met.  
• The investigator continues to check up on close contacts to see if they have developed symptoms. Anyone who develops symptoms is given instructions on how to seek healthcare safely without exposing others in the doctor’s office or ER waiting room. 

Potential job applicants and volunteers, can get more information at: .

Anyone who is sick and suspects they have the virus, or have been around someone who is sick, or are caring for someone who is sick, can get details on how to protect themselves and others at: .  For more information on COVID-19 and what steps can be taken to stop the spread, visit or for the Spanish version at .

Photo courtesy of Maricopa County.

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When COVID-19 first surfaced in Arizona three months ago, colleges and universities immediately reacted, diving into research to find solutions and attacking community challenges as they arose.   

Their efforts have become a formidable force for innovation and compassion during the pandemic. 

Here’s a snapshot of some of their efforts that are helping to change the face of the pandemic in Arizona, and potentially the world. 

First in the nation: Testing Arizona’s health care and first-response workforce

Last week, the University of Arizona launched an effort to test 250,000 health care workers and first responders across the state to determine who has developed antibodies to the virus. 

The project, made possible with a $3.5 million grant from the state, is the first of its kind in the nation. 

The tests will help determine how many people have been exposed to COVID-19 and successfully built an immunity against it. Experts say as many as 50 percent of people who have been exposed to COVID-19 have experienced few to no symptoms.

“Determining whether a significant percentage of individuals have COVID-19 antibodies is critical to returning to regular social interaction,” said Michael Dake, senior vice president for UArizona Health Sciences, who is overseeing production of the tests. “Through what we hope would eventually be a comprehensive testing program, the university and local health care facilities could begin working toward reestablishing fully operational learning and working environments.”

The tests also could be important for determining the pandemic’s reach, and for paving a pathway to develop therapeutics for patients as well as vaccines to guard against infection.

“This is critical to understanding what current immunity might be in our community and state, and it’s something no one else is doing,” Dake said. “This is a great opportunity to participate in something that will add to understanding the virus across the whole country, if not the world.

“People are literally working 24/7 to get this project up and running —  pushing, pushing, pushing.”

To read more about the project, go to:

Texting project to track 1 million households  

To collect critical local data to track COVID-19 as it spreads, a team of researchers from UArizona Health Sciences and Data Science Institute launched a two-way texting system to gather and provide information to track the virus and identify areas where more resources may be needed. 

The AZCOVIDTXT allows people to easily report the health condition in their household on a weekly basis through surveys via their mobile phones. This will allow users to connect with needed resources, and provide vital information to a team of researchers at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

A promotional campaign is encouraging Arizonans to join the crowdsourcing project. The project plans to enroll 1 million or more participants.

To participate, Arizonans can simply text “JOIN” to 1-833-410-0546. Users also can sign up through the project website, .

An AZCOVIDTXT community resource board on the integrated platform allows messaging tailored to different community segments. The platform, online or via text, also can help dispel myths and prevent scams, said Tracy Crane, assistant professor, Biobehavioral Health Sciences Division, UArizona College of Nursing, and co-director of the Behavioral Measurement and Interventions Shared Resource at the UArizona Cancer Center.

“A large number of COVID-related websites have emerged,” she said. “It’s important to have the University of Arizona provide reliable facts. In addition, cancer patients, geriatric populations, Native American communities and other groups all have varying needs. This allows an opportunity to reach a lot of people quickly and provide resources we know are evidence-based and truthful.” 

Over the next six months, the researchers will work to understand the lifecycle of the novel coronavirus, identify potential treatments and create patient databases to expand understanding of the disease, among other goals.

NAU, UArizona, TGen analyze coronavirus genome 

Northern Arizona University, UArizona and TGen research institute have formed the Arizona COVID-19 Genomics Union to better understand how the virus may be evolving, how it is transmitted and how it is moving through the general population. 

This molecular epidemiological combines traditional epidemiology methods with evolutionary modeling based on a high-resolution analysis of the virus’ genome. In humans, a copy of the entire genome — more than 3 billion DNA base pairs — is contained in all cells that have a nucleus.

“Only by using genomic sequencing and advanced analyses can we begin to fully understand this disease at the molecular level, looking for keys to unlock its mysteries,” said David Engelthaler, PhD, co-director and associate professor of the TGen’s Pathogen and Microbiome Division in Flagstaff. “We have the ability to sequence the genome of every strain from every patient. That’s what we are working toward.”

The Genomics Union is similar to other groups working to gain a foothold on the new coronavirus. Rapid sharing of data and analysis will provide a better understanding of the virus to the scientific, medical and public health community. The consortium of scientists hope that their regional sequencing will give Arizona health care providers and public policymakers an edge in responding to the pandemic.

Providing housing to first responders

Grand Canyon University (GCU), whose mission includes investing in the surrounding community, is reaching out during the pandemic in a number of ways including providing housing for first responders. 

GCU opened up the GCU Hotel for first responders from Phoenix Police, Phoenix Fire Department, Peoria Fire Department and potentially health-care workers. They now have a place to stay if they do not want to take that risk of infection back home to their families, school officials said. 

GCU to donate all stimulus funds to impacted students 

GCU recently announced it is giving 100 percent of the $22.3 million it is receiving from the federal government as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act directly to students in the form of emergency cash grants. 

Stipulations in the act require that half of the money allocated must go to students, with the other half for universities to cover costs associated with COVID-19. But GCU President Brian Mueller said the University is committed to providing the full amount to students.

“This was an easy decision to make,” Mueller said. “It is incumbent on us to take care of our students and families who are trying to navigate the challenges caused by this coronavirus pandemic.”

Students manufacture thousands of face masks daily  

Colleges also have been reaching out to their respective communities, manufacturing thousands of 3D masks every day and other protective gear for frontline workers. They also are donating laptops and school supplies to students whose families have been negatively impacted by the virus. 

All 10 Maricopa Community colleges are involved in projects to help.

For example, Glendale Community College has been delivering supplies to the front door of a local hospital emergency room. 

Phoenix College is donating $8,000 worth of protective gear from its Allied Health programs to local community partners. The college is redistributing personal protection equipment from its Phlebotomy and Medical Lab Technology programs to help those in the medical field. 

GateWay Community College in Phoenix has loaned more than 120 laptops and nearly 100 hotspots to students to help them transition to remote learning. GateWay also donated more than $3,300 in supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to various healthcare partners in the Valley. It is lending ventilator and test lung equipment, valued at more than $260,000, to Dignity Health-Chandler Regional Medical Center. 

Free online academic access for teachers, students, public at large 

To reach out to parents, teachers, students and the public, the University of Phoenix is offering free academics, online advice, career services and more during the pandemic.

Free webinars and courses are available to anyone who needs them. From parents homeschooling for the first time, a high school needing help transitioning from classroom to job seekers wanting career advice.  

One of the first things the university did was to offer support to K-12 schools needing help transitioning from classroom to online instruction during the coronavirus shutdown. 

The university also opened up its continuing teacher education collection to K-12 educators. 

Anyone can jump online and sign up for on topics like Technology Survival for Educators, Using Apps in the Classroom, and Multimedia for Educators. 

ASU Biodesign Institute expanding rapid testing to save lives

To slow the viral spread and possible recurrence of COVID-19, ASU’s Biodesign Institute received funding from the Virginia G. Piper Trust Charitable Trust to increase its capacity for automated, rapid diagnostic testing.

“ASU is in a unique position to scale up our testing efforts to support round-the-clock testing and analyze hundreds of samples daily,” said Joshua LaBaer, director of the institute, who also serves as the Piper Chair in Personalized Medicine and leader of the Biodesign Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics. “We have an urgent window right now to make an impact through testing and save lives in our community.”

The Institute has shifted its research capabilities to support a clinically approved and certified COVID-19 testing center, a COVID-19 swab test kit production facility capable of assembling 2,000 kits per day, production of personal protective equipment such as face shields, and supporting drive-through COVID-19 testing at area hospitals.

This rapid shift was made possible by a Department of Defense $40 million investment in ASU back in 2009 as the lead contractor on a multi-year project aimed at helping to triage a population in the event of a nuclear emergency.

“This particular tool was specifically for measuring the absorbed dose of gamma radiation exposure to civilians if a nuclear bomb were detonated in a city or populated area,” LaBaer said. “Now, we just swapped out the genes for radiation detection for the coronavirus ones to do the test. We have all the automation and robots in place, and everything’s ready to go now.”  

For more information about the project, go to:

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