Crushing the Curve in Idaho
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - For Crush the Curve Idaho, the first thing to figure out was how to get supplies when the whole country is looking for them. They got some help from a neighboring state.
"Early on with our friends in Utah they told us don't go through traditional channels," BVA Development CEO, Dr. Tommy Ahlquist said.
"All of the hospitals and everyone is going through traditional channels. You have to get outside that and find labs that are commercial labs, but that may not have the capacity maxed out."
"So, go find all those labs and on the supply side, instead of just saying, 'hey, do we have a kit' and having the answer be 'no we don't' and then stopping and saying what are the components in the kit and go source out the different components in the kit.”
The group was able to find sources for the same level of test that is FDA approved. Ahlquist is constantly working the phones and coordinating with a company who shifted their ways to help out.
“They took their company that was making medical supplies and over the weekend completely retooled their machinery to produce the testing kits," Ahlquist said.
"Isn't that cool? So they're right now in the finalize the process of how they're packaging them and get them to us, and we ordered 100,000 of those. Just so that we were in line right up front to help with those testing kits, but that's the kind of innovation and ingenuity that's going on around us. It's pretty cool.”
When it comes to helping East Idaho, Crush the Curve is not wasting any time on getting tests to the area.
“If you're in the Treasure Valley, we have a relationship with testing centers where we'll send that patient to that testing center,"Ahlquist said. "We're doing the same thing over on your side of the state. So Mountain View Hospital has been fantastic. What we'll do is we help them with supplies, in fact, just now we're sending someone in a car right now driving to Idaho Falls to take them 300 of the testing kits.”
On Crush The Curve Idaho's website, you can take an assessment, share information on your social media channels, and companies can reach out to help.
