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Baptist Health Foundation Receives More Than $130,000 To Fund COVID-19 Testing Equipment in Western Region

FORT SMITH, Ark. – Baptist Health Foundation has received two donations totaling more than $130,000 to fund coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing equipment for the Western Region.

An anonymous organization awarded $98,000 and the Fort Smith-based Good Neighbor Foundation, voluntarily funded by Baptist Health employees in the Western Region, donated $33,000 toward the Cepheid testing system.

“Our organizations have an important commonality, which is a strong commitment to our community. Vital partnerships, like these, will help Baptist Health continue to respond to the changing health needs of our state by providing innovative and quality care,” said Lena Moore, chief development officer of Baptist Health Foundation.

The Cepheid testing technology will allow Baptist Health-Fort Smith, Baptist Health-Van Buren and affiliated clinics in the region to detect COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in-house within the same day.

Cepheid has a history of responding quickly and working with global health organizations to help manage infectious disease outbreaks, such as the Ebola virus and 2009 H1N1 influenza.

For more details regarding Baptist Health’s response to the coronavirus disease, including visitor restrictions at hospitals, access to care, COVID-19 education and drive-thru screening sites, visit baptist-health.com/coronavirus.

Visit baptisthealthfoundation.org for opportunities to support Baptist Health Foundation’s work and help the organization continue to meet the critical needs of the community.

 

Baptist Health is Arkansas’ most comprehensive health care organization with more than 200 points of access that include 11 hospitals; urgent care centers; a senior living community and over 100 primary and specialty care clinics in Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. The system additionally offers a college with studies in nursing and allied health; a graduate residency program; and access to virtual care anytime, anywhere. Baptist Health, as the largest not-for-profit health care organization based in Arkansas, provides care to patients wherever they are through the support of approximately 11,000 employees, groundbreaking treatments, renowned physicians and community outreach programs. For more information about Baptist Health, visit baptist-health.com, call Baptist Health HealthLine at 1-888-BAPTIST or download the myBaptistHealth app. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.