Update: Barrow Responds to COVID-19

Dear Friend,

We wanted to reach out to thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for Barrow Neurological Institute. These are challenging times for all of us, whether dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic at work as we do here or in the communities where life goes on. We miss our usual opportunities to connect with you at educational events or social gatherings, and hope that you and your loved ones are all healthy and safe.

Deep into this pandemic, we continue to be inspired by the stories we hear from our patients, our clinicians, and you. These stories demonstrate real grit and tenacity in confronting this adversity and finding ways to control it. Brain tumors and aneurysms don’t take time out during pandemics, and so we have continued to serve these patients with the surgery and care they need. Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease don’t take breaks either, and patients with these illnesses have needed our continued care too.

For those at risk for COVID-19 and unable to attend a clinic appointment, we have converted 85% of those appointments to telemedicine interactions where we can care for these patients remotely and continue their treatment from the safety of their own homes.

When COVID-19 first struck, the Barrow Innovation Center went to work to address the critical shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). Our residents and engineers designed and manufactured substitute N95 masks now used by thousands of frontline care providers in Arizona. And the team has not stopped there as they revise and evolve the masks to make them more effective and more available.

When COVID-19 patients were overwhelming the healthcare system in Arizona, we converted our neurosciences intensive care units into COVID units to make room for more patients. We relocated our patients to other floors to increase our capacity and readiness for the critically ill. Our nurses in particular were and still are in harm’s way during every shift, risking their own health while offering compassion and kindness to patients whose own families cannot be there at the bedside to comfort them. This devotion exemplifies grit and tenacity in the face of adversity. We are thankful to them and to all of our clinicians and staff who demonstrate courage every day.

We are also thankful for you, for joining us on this shared journey and supporting our efforts in so many ways. We are proud of our role in combatting this pandemic and providing the necessary treatments. We recognize that without your continued support and altruism, our journey would be more difficult if not impossible.

Please stay healthy and safe, and we look forward to seeing you in person in the near future.

With sincere gratitude,

Katie Cobb

President, Barrow Neurological Foundation

Michael T. Lawton, MD

President and CEO, Barrow Neurological Institute