Dear friends and neighbors,
A sign of just how far we have come in our fight against COVID-19, we recently celebrated the closure of UVA Health's large community vaccination site at Charlottesville's Seminole Square. More than half of the 122,000 vaccine doses UVA Health has administered in our community were given at this location, which our team affectionately referred to as "Big Shots." The large gathering to celebrate the closure, which itself wouldn't have been possible before vaccination efforts like this one, was a wonderful opportunity to thank everyone who played a role in its success — from the generosity of several community organizations and support of the Blue Ridge Health District to the work of more than 800 UVA Health team members and community volunteers on-site and behind the
scenes.
UVA Health volunteers celebrating vaccine progress with the closing of our "Big Shots" clinic.
With local vaccine demand falling, we recently moved our community vaccination site to a smaller location in the West Complex of UVA Medical Center. So if you haven't been vaccinated, please call 434-297-4829 to make an appointment. Alternatively, you can attend one of our weekly pop-up community vaccination events on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall, every Friday through the end of July, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
As we reach the midpoint of 2021, there is so much happening at UVA Health. On July 1, we became the full owner
of Novant Health UVA Health System, an integrated network of physician offices, outpatient facilities, and community hospitals in Culpeper, Haymarket, and Prince William County. With more than 1,000 inpatient beds across four hospitals — including our Medical Center here in Charlottesville — an expanded UVA Health will provide even more people access to the best healthcare in Virginia. That means curing more patients through our advanced specialty care programs, providing broader access to our ground-breaking clinical trials, developing even more innovative treatments, and educating the most talented healthcare workforce possible.
Also, we just officially kicked off UVA Health's strategic planning process, and we want to hear from you! This is your time to help us envision One Future Together in an inclusive and integrated manner across UVA Health's four missions: patient care, research, education, and community/health equity. We would appreciate your input on many important topics, including how we can best partner with the community and meet the critical healthcare needs of those we serve. So, I encourage you to help shape our future strategy by posting a comment on our strategic planning website.
Finally, I'm proud to share that, last month, U.S. News & World Report ranked UVA Children's the No. 1 children's hospital in Virginia. I'm especially proud of this recent national recognition, as it reflects our ongoing commitment at UVA Health to providing the highest-quality care for all of our patients regardless of their age.
Wishing you and your loved ones health and happiness,
K. Craig Kent, MD
Chief Executive Officer, UVA Health
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, University of Virginia |
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