April 23, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 77 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
THANKING THE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO MEDICAL CENTER MOLECULAR SPECIALISTS; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 77
(Extensions of Remarks - April 23, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E390-E391] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] THANKING THE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO MEDICAL CENTER MOLECULAR SPECIALISTS ______ HON. MARCY KAPTUR of ohio in the house of representatives Thursday, April 23, 2020 Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the tireless efforts our caregivers and healthcare professionals are exciting patriotically to combat coronavirus. Those on the frontlines are bravely caring for sick patients. Those behind the scenes are working to find a vaccine or expand testing of the virus. Today in particular, on a day when Congress has recommended to pass additional legislation to heal our nation and unlock the mystery of COVID-19, I want to recognize the seven female molecular specialists at the University of Toledo Medical Center who have been instrumental in bringing in-house testing capabilities to our city and Northwest Ohio: Heather [[Page E391]] Byrd, Michelle Lewandowski, Nicole Ortiz, Heather Kvale, Holly Mohon, Shauna Rasor, and Ji-Youn Yeo. Not many hospitals have a molecular department, but UTMC does. Thanks to the work of these highly trained women specialists, and the UTMC lab capabilities, COVID-19 testing was made available for our entire region and results dropped from an 8 day wait period to just 48 hours. And the lab is poised to invent even better results with the research funds Congress has passed. These swift test results have had a priceless impact on the lives of people in our community. Quick test results help us identify sick patients, get them the care they need, and prevent further spread. Their work brings our community great pride in their accomplishments at the precious labs of UTMC. I will continue to support their efforts at UTMC as the country works to ratchet up production and make widespread testing more available. In the difficult circumstances Americans find ourselves in, hope must not be forgotten. The rays of hope we see in our researchers and caregivers' dedication to heal and find solutions to this virus serve as a reminder of the resiliency of our community and the strength of America as a whole in an interdependent world. Today, America thanks you--the Toledo Rocket women of science--who helped bring testing to our region. To quote Abraham Lincoln--you are ``the better angels of our nature.'' [From the Blade, Apr. 1, 2020] How UTMC Specialists Worked Swiftly To Bring Coronavirus Testing to Area (By Brooks Sutherland) Around the same time the United States reported its first case of coronavirus, molecular specialists at the University of Toledo Medical Center had already begun discussions to bring in-house testing capabilities to its pathology lab. It was that foresight that paved the way for coronavirus testing capabilities at UTMC, the former Medical College of Ohio hospital, under a U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization, to sprout in just weeks. Testing in Lucas County previously took up to eight days for results to finalize even as concerns around the global pandemic continued to heighten and the number of confirmed cases skyrocketed nationwide. But today, the lab at UTMC can test up to 180 samples a day and returns take 48 hours or less. That quick turnaround is possible thanks to efforts from molecular specialists such as Ji-Youn Yeo and Heather Kvale and a handful of others at UTMC, according to Cynthia O'Connell, the administrative director of the medical center's pathology lab. ``We have a molecular department, and not many hospitals do,'' she said. ``So we have a lot of specialists and they worked tirelessly to make this happen.'' Understanding its impact during a health crisis, Ms. Kvale added: ``We really wanted to bring this in house, so it would reduce the turnaround time for our patients.'' ``I'm really glad that we're able to decrease that time so that people don't sit there in limbo,'' she said. But in order to bring testing capability to UTMC, the molecular diagnostics specialists had to validate a testing kit to show it was accurately providing results. Thankfully, the lab was already equipped with the correct machine and the kit before they became in short supply. In order to validate testing, lab workers collaborated with Beaumont Health, which is based in Royal Oak, Mich., and the Ohio Department of Health to gather known positive and negative specimens which were in turn used to test accuracy. Ms. Yeo's expertise in molecular genetics then helped the lab modify the test to keep employees safe during the process, Ms. Kvale said. But that modification then had to be validated, she said. ``She's really brilliant,'' Ms. O'Connell added of Ms. Yeo. Ms. Yeo declined to be interviewed, but in a prepared statement said members of the pathology team ``worked fast together,'' to put all the pieces in place to bring testing to northwest Ohio. Dr. James Willey, a UT professor who specializes in pulmonary medicine, said Ms. Yeo trained and performed her thesis in his National Institutes of Health-funded lab, where she learned lots of unique skill sets. ``I'm proud of all those guys,'' he said. ``This is really important.'' Dr. Thomas Blomquist, deputy coroner at the Lucas County Coroner's Office, helped set up the molecular diagnostics lab and hired Ms. Kvale and Ms. Yeo. He said the two ``deserve a ton of credit,'' and said he was proud that the specialists were able to fend off any challenges that stood in the way of bringing testing to the area. ``Molecular testing is really critical for society,'' he said. ``It allows people to have quick results so they can be quarantined as quick as possible to prevent the spread. This is going to have a huge impact.'' ____________________