Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates

“After three years of tracking and reporting COVID-19 data, Texas Medical Center is posting its final COVID dashboard today. The dashboards began in April 2020, when little was known about the virus and its repercussions. From the start, individuals, and organizations across TMC and beyond united to mitigate COVID’s impact on our healthcare system and the Greater Houston community.

As we bring this critical initiative to an end, we would like to express our gratitude to those who joined in collecting and sharing such important information. Thank you to the TMC CEOs who met every morning at 7am, seven days a week, for well over a year to analyze our collective data in real-time, ensuring prompt, well-informed decisions. Thank you to each of the teams within TMC that played a role in our response, the clinical, the supply chain, the data, the HR, the ethics, and the pharmacy teams all came together and supported each other.      

We are equally grateful to our close partners, the City of Houston Mayor’s office, the Harris County Judge’s office, Houston public health department, Harris County Public Health Department, and the Greater Houston Partnership, as well as to regional public health officials, church and school leaders, business community members, and the many others who committed to our efforts without hesitation.

This unprecedented undertaking demanded a significant investment of time and resources, including extensive data collection, analysis, and organization at each institution. Approximately 7,800 meeting hours were spent addressing this health emergency together, with an additional 30,000 hours shaping the dashboards’ 2,700 PowerPoint and Excel files. The resultant data was used by public health officials, businesses, the media, and individuals to inform key decisions, such as when to reopen schools or how to gather for family celebrations. In addition, COVID pages on the TMC web site were viewed almost 25 million times.

 Although the dashboards were the most visible signal of TMC’s public health efforts, they were only one part of an intense collaboration to support public health and maintain a strong economy. We are confident that if Houston ever faces another crisis of this magnitude, our collaborative effort over the last three years will serve as a guidebook, allowing TMC and its partners to once again respond efficiently and effectively.     

History will reflect on the recent pandemic as one of the greatest health crises the world has ever faced. As we close this chapter of our lives, I am extremely grateful to so many people who sacrificed without delay or reservation to protect and guide our community.

Thank you again for all you did to help us understand, address, and manage this historic health event.”

With warmest regards and appreciation,

William F. McKeon
President and Chief Executive Officer Texas Medical Center