Sonic Healthcare USA and other Clinical Laboratory Executives Met with the White House’s Coronavirus Taskforce
Austin, TX – March 6, 2020
This week, Academic and Commercial Reference Laboratory Executives met with Vice President, Mike Pence and members of the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force to collectively discuss diagnostic testing availability for COVID-19.
Jerry Hussong, MD, MBA, the Chief Executive Officer of Sonic Healthcare USA (Sonic), was among those who met on behalf of the American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) with key government officials, the CDC, and the FDA. At the meeting, key stakeholders discussed the role of state and local public health and commercial laboratories, hospitals, and academic medical centers to increase access to testing for the Coronavirus. “Our main goal, as a commercial laboratory, is to ensure those patients in need or at high-risk can access testing. By working together, we can accelerate those efforts with a coordinated and comprehensive approach,” said Dr. Hussong.
Dr. Hussong added, “Sonic Healthcare is working with its Medical, Scientific and Operational Leadership to make patient testing available through its network of commercial laboratories in the United States and will follow the FDA guidelines for Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs).” The FDA has recently updated its policy, thus providing an expedited pathway for the availability of diagnostics for COVID-19.
Sonic Healthcare will continue to lead and collaborate with colleagues, government officials, and our local medical communities in response to this immediate public health crisis.
Read the ACLA Statement on COVID-19 Testing.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Sonic Healthcare USA
Dr. Jerry Hussong, MD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
jhussong@sonichealthcareusa.com
512.531.2216
About Sonic Healthcare USA
Sonic Healthcare USA is a subsidiary of Sonic Healthcare Limited, one of the world's largest medical diagnostic companies, providing laboratory services to medical practitioners, hospitals, and community health services, with operations in eight countries, on three continents and providing care to over 100 million patients each year. Sonic Healthcare USA is a leading provider of state-of-the-art laboratory services and pathology practices throughout the USA with nine operating divisions and nearly eight thousand US-based employees. Sonic Healthcare USA utilizes a federated business model that emphasizes medical leadership and community-based testing services to provide outstanding quality and service to the doctors and patients that they serve. For more information, visit the Sonic Healthcare website at www.sonichealthcareusa.com.