LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Bank of America has made a $37,000 gift to a recently established COVID-19 support fund at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
The COVID-19 Support Fund will cover costs associated with screening, testing and treating patients with COVID-19.
It will help pay for personal protective equipment like gloves, gowns and masks, along with other supplies.
"We're just very grateful to not only Bank of America for their generous donation, but for any other donations," Dr. Steppe Mette, CEO of UAMS Medical Center, said. "There have been several others. This is a really important demonstration of the commitment of the community to helping battle COVID-19. It is really a telltale sign of generous people in Arkansas are."
Mette said the medical center's daily operations have been "turned upside down" as it tries to care for patients during a pandemic.
"The best side of UAMS and its employees have come through," Mette said. "It's remarkable how under these circumstances everybody pulls together. We have created new structures, a new really positive morale on how to take care of the situation, and I think we're pretty well prepared now to handle just about anything that comes our way."
As needs evolve to meet the COVID-19 pandemic, the fund will evolve to address those needs, according to UAMS.
Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms is encouraged to call the UAMS coronavirus hotline at 800-632-4502. An online screening tool is available at uamshealth.com/healthnow.