$350,000 matching grant will unify Rady Children’s efforts to prepare, respond and fight the coronavirus pandemic
Thursday, April 9–SAN DIEGO – Today, Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego announced a $350,000 challenge grant from The Conrad Prebys Foundation that, when coupled with additional community investments, will help to fund the health system’s ability to create critically needed 3D-printed nasal swabs, protective face shields and other in-demand materials, and bolster its investment in protecting frontline care providers, patients and families while fighting the effects of COVID-19.
“This generous grant will increase our ability to respond to COVID-19 needs—from rapid technology development and care innovations to ensuring that our patients and frontline teams remain protected and equipped to respond to our community’s greatest needs,” said Patrick Frias, MD, president and CEO of Rady Children’s. “The leadership that the Foundation is demonstrating across San Diego during this challenging time is true to Mr. Prebys’s legacy of coming together to invest in our community. Such bold action and investment in our healthcare systems will help save lives.”
The grant will enable Rady Children’s to amalgamate its organizational pandemic efforts and spur its capacity to combat COVID-19, including support for:
- The Helen and Will Webster Foundation 3D Innovations Lab – The lab has finalized the prototype for 3D-printed nasal swabs to enable onsite public COVID-19 testing; has created face shields for medical professionals and is prototyping splitters for ventilators to maximize usage capacity for patients.
- Rady Children’s TLC program – An internal resource to support clinical and administrative staff during the pandemic, the TLC program offers health and well-being resources, remote work support and family-centric assistance to help staff navigate the coronavirus pandemic.
- Greatest Needs fund – This dedicated fund supports organizational impacts, like the creation of patient isolation rooms, staffing changes, equipment purchases and expanding care to include young adults, as needed, in response to the pandemic.
- Research & Development funding – Rady Children’s scientists continue efforts to develop care solutions, equipment alternatives and advanced research into novel pathogens, including focused efforts to develop genomics-based mass testing capabilities and expand onsite testing resources.
In announcing the grant, the Foundation’s board of directors noted that its efforts to respond to community needs during the pandemic should include supporting San Diego’s leading pediatric health care system emphasizing that to date, children have been spared the brunt of COVID-19 infections, allowing Rady Children’s to focus its scientific expertise on critically needed tools and diagnostic interventions.
Rady Children’s continues to serve more than 9 out of 10 injured or ill children in the San Diego region while having moved much of its noncritical care to virtual and telemedicine models, deploying a dedicated nurse hotline and repurposing clinical spaces to allow for increased isolation protocols and follow social distancing guidelines, all of which comes at a high cost to the organization.
“The way in which The Conrad Prebys Foundation continues to unite the community behind the essential work of health care systems affirms that when we combine our resources and talents, we have the greatest impact on the lives of San Diegans,” said Stephen L. Jennings, senior vice president and executive director of Rady Children’s Foundation. “Initial response from our donor community has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are confident that together we will meet this match to best support Rady Children’s everyday heroes.”
To support The Conrad Prebys Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund Match and directly support Rady Children’s, visit radyfoundation.org/donatenow.