Spring is a sacred time of rebirth and renewal. Easter and Passover, and soon Ramadan, bring messages of hope that are especially meaningful this year. At Providence, we have many reasons to be hopeful thanks to the dedication of our caregivers and thanks to support from our communities.

To share some highlights: 

• In many of our communities, we’re seeing the number of COVID cases either plateau or increase at slower rates. This is largely due to social distancing, which was enacted early in most of the states we serve.
• Though we still face supply challenges, our inventory of personal protective equipment is becoming more stable after scouring the globe for products, working with local manufacturers to make our own PPE, and continuing our PPE conservation and reprocessing efforts.
• Though we still need more tests, testing capacity and turnaround times are continuing to improve. This is made possible through our own lab in Oregon and partnerships with commercial and academic labs.
• We are operating some of the largest clinical trials in the country for drug therapies and antibody testing. We’re also doing genomics research to understand why the virus affects some people more than others. 
• We are doing significantly more virtual visits, which helps reduce the risk of COVID exposure by avoiding in-person interactions. It is also catapulting health care into the digital age.
• With the situation becoming more manageable within our own system, we returned ventilators back to the federal stockpile so they can be used in parts of the country with greater need.

These are just a few examples of how your efforts are making a difference. I talk more about our progress in this video. 

In these extraordinary times, our caregivers and communities are lighting the path forward and offering much-needed hope and healing, which is the greatest gift of all. I wish you and your families a blessed spring season.