Detroit Receives $400K Donation To Continue Coronavirus Testing

DETROIT, MI — A partnership of Michigan businesses have donated $400,000 to allow Detroit to continue its onsite coronavirus testing at senior facilities.

Officials said in a news release that the donation, from a group comprised of the Southfield-based Altimetrik, the Vattikuti Foundation in collaboration with Henry Ford Health System and the city of Detroit Health Department, will bring 10,000 onsite coronavirus tests to the city's more than 126 nursing homes and senior assisted living facilities.

“Through rapid testing and partnerships like the one with Altimetrik, the Vattikuti Foundation and Henry Ford Health System, we are meeting the needs of our friends, parents and grandparents and those who care for them through this initiative,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said.

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High-density senior facilities have been particularly threatened by the coronavirus. When rapid testing for the virus began in Detroit in April, roughly 28 percent of nursing home patients that had been tested were positive for the coronavirus.

In a news conference Monday, Duggan thanked the partners for the donation and noted in the significance of expanding the testing outside of just nursing homes.

"The 200 deaths that we have experienced at the nursing homes have been very painful for all of us," Duggan said in a news. "We have 100 other facilities, adult foster case centers, assisted living facilities, senior citizen housing, where we don't have the same indication of infection. We have the same vulnerable population."

Senior assisted-living facilities are similar to nursing homes, officials said Monday, in terms of both the urgent need for attention and the socio-demographics of residents. Many facilities do not have the medical staff that s present in nursing homes, officials said.

“Henry Ford has always been a trusted partner with the communities it serves in meeting vital health needs, and this has been especially true in the City of Detroit,” said Bob Riney, president of Healthcare Operations and chief operating officer at Henry Ford Health System. “This partnership in response to the coronavirus builds on this commitment and will bring vital testing infrastructure onsite to the residents and workers of these congregate facilities to help prevent further spread of the disease as well as function as a venue for outreach and distribution of protective equipment.”

The testing deployment teams are managed by the Global Health Initiative (GHI) at Henry Ford, a collaboration of regional healthcare and academic institutions.

“The community outreach campaign will have meaningful impact by quickly identifying those who may be positive and limiting further spread of the virus in these vulnerable populations,” says John Zervos, GHI executive director. “It takes a village in this kind of crisis. The City of Detroit, its health department, Wayne State University and the philanthropic community have been phenomenal partners in advancing this critical work. Together, we’re making a difference.”

The testing program will have three operational components: mobile testing; education, outreach and prevention efforts; and monitoring, analysis and back-to-work planning.

Mobile testing is made possible thanks to Monday's donation, which will allow for the purchase and deployment of 10,000 tests over the next six to eight weeks. The deployment teams of GHI staff and community volunteers use test-equipped vans to visit each site. They wear the required personal protective equipment, like hospital healthcare workers to protect against potential exposure, and aim to test about 200 people a day.

Results, treatment and care protocols, such as isolating COVID-positive residents, will be quickly implemented, officials said. Site visits allow for the delivery of education on preventative measures and distribution of PPE to patients and workers as needed.

In addition to the monetary donation contributed by Altimetrik employees, Altimetrik will also provide operational support in building digital infrastructure for information collection and analysis. Building digital tools for the collection and analysis of data will help reduce future spread of the disease and help develop guidelines for infection-preventive work practices, officials said.

“We know that during this difficult time, our minority and low-income communities are struggling disproportionately with the impact of COVID-19," said Raj Vattikuti, CEO of Altimetrik and the Vattikuti Foundation. “We’ve previously partnered with Henry Ford Health System to help establish Detroit as a global leader in robotic surgery, we’re excited to work with them again in building this service for the Detroit community.”