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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas |
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| 6 | 7 | | Tech University Health Sciences Center at Amarillo has played an |
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| 7 | 8 | | integral role in the global campaign to advance understanding of |
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| 8 | 9 | | the disease, to develop lifesaving treatments and therapies, and to |
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| 9 | 10 | | provide essential medical care and vaccination services to the |
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| 10 | 11 | | Amarillo community; and |
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| 11 | 12 | | WHEREAS, In April 2020, TTUHSC was selected to be part of a |
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| 12 | 13 | | U.S. government-sponsored, FDA-approved study conducted by Mayo |
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| 13 | 14 | | Clinic to evaluate the use of convalescent plasma in treating |
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| 14 | 15 | | patients with severe COVID-19; working in partnership with other |
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| 15 | 16 | | institutions, the health sciences center swiftly mobilized to |
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| 16 | 17 | | implement the project, and its participation provided patients in |
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| 17 | 18 | | Amarillo with a treatment option that was difficult to attain at the |
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| 18 | 19 | | time; and |
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| 19 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Continuing to investigate the viability of new |
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| 20 | 21 | | methods of treating COVID-19, TTUHSC entered into an agreement with |
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| 21 | 22 | | Amarillo's PharmaTex Research to assist in a clinical trial of |
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| 22 | 23 | | Regeneron's novel antiviral antibody cocktail in late summer of |
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| 23 | 24 | | 2020; at the time, the health sciences center was one of only 150 |
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| 24 | 25 | | sites internationally and the only location in West Texas with |
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| 25 | 26 | | access to the medications; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, In addition to facilitating studies and clinical |
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| 27 | 28 | | trials, TTUHSC has helped increase Texas' testing capacity by |
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| 28 | 29 | | producing viral transport media, a critical component of COVID-19 |
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| 29 | 30 | | tests; at its peak, the health sciences center was generating |
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| 30 | 31 | | between 15,000 and 20,000 vials of VTM per week, for a total of more |
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| 31 | 32 | | than 450,000 vials, and the university went on to be recognized for |
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| 32 | 33 | | its production of VTM in The Governor's Report to Open Texas |
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| 33 | 34 | | publication issued by Governor Greg Abbott; the VTM project was led |
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| 34 | 35 | | by a team from the TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy and the |
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| 35 | 36 | | School of Medicine, and the schools shared information about their |
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| 36 | 37 | | effective methods with other universities and laboratories across |
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| 37 | 38 | | the state; and |
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| 38 | 39 | | WHEREAS, Another important initiative carried out by TTUHSC |
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| 39 | 40 | | was the establishment of the Amarillo Center for Excellence for |
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| 40 | 41 | | COVID-19 Research & Pandemics, which encompasses a range of efforts |
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| 41 | 42 | | that are focused on the goal of predicting and preparing for future |
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| 42 | 43 | | pandemics; special thanks is also owed to the many TTUHSC medical |
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| 43 | 44 | | and pharmaceutical faculty members who have been on the front lines |
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| 44 | 45 | | providing high-quality care to patients in area medical centers; in |
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| 45 | 46 | | addition, the health sciences center has administered a total of |
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| 46 | 47 | | more than 11,000 COVID-19 vaccinations on the Amarillo campus; and |
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| 47 | 48 | | WHEREAS, The faculty, research staff, students, support |
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| 48 | 49 | | staff, and administration of the Texas Tech University Health |
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| 49 | 50 | | Sciences Center at Amarillo have lent their time, expertise, and |
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| 50 | 51 | | resources to expedite critical research and treatment in the |
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| 51 | 52 | | world's battle against COVID-19, and they are deserving of our |
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| 52 | 53 | | lasting gratitude for their tireless dedication to this endeavor; |
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| 53 | 54 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 54 | 55 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 55 | 56 | | Legislature hereby commend the faculty, research staff, students, |
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| 56 | 57 | | support staff, and administration of the Texas Tech University |
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| 57 | 58 | | Health Sciences Center at Amarillo for their exceptional |
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| 58 | 59 | | contributions in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and extend to |
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| 59 | 60 | | all those associated with the effort sincere best wishes for |
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| 60 | 61 | | continued success in their important work; and, be it further |
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| 61 | 62 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 62 | 63 | | prepared for the health sciences center as an expression of high |
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| 63 | 64 | | regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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