Dear CCC Editor and the Columbia River Gorge Community:

We sincerely want to thank the Columbia River Gorge Community and our partners North Central Public Health District and One Community Health for your enthusiasm and commitment to clinical research to find new tests to stop the spread of COVID-19.

In May the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network started the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Test Us national clinical research studies at North Central Public Health District in The Dalles and One Community Health in Hood River. The studies recruited volunteers to answer surveys and provide nasal and saliva samples to improve testing and diagnosis of COVID-19. There was an outpouring of interest and passion to contribute to research that as one participant put it “helps the war on COVID-19”.

Over the course of less than three months, 126 people from the Gorge enrolled in the studies and many more expressed interest and willingness to participate. Participants contributed data to two national studies that had other research sites mainly in urban academic areas. It was gratifying to contribute data representing diverse, rural populations from the Columbia River Gorge.

We would especially like to thank One Community Health and North Central Public Health District, whose enthusiasm and commitment to research never wavered. Thank you to everyone who volunteered or expressed interested in the research. Your contributions have made a difference to research that will help the pandemic.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nancy Elder, Laura Ferrara and the rest of the RADx TestUs Team at the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network