The LeadingAge Ohio Spotlight Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has made a significant contribution through an innovative program or service that has positively impacted aging services. The 2020 Spotlight Award was presented to Dr. John M. Weigand, President at Central Ohio Geriatrics and Chief Medical Officer at National Church Residences in Columbus, Ohio.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. John Weigand emerged as a strong voice for the sector and quickly noted a need for a fast response to outbreaks in long-term care settings. Dr. Weigand gathered a team of organizations and volunteers to assist long-term care facilities in central Ohio who required testing. The result was the creation of the Post-Acute Regional Rapid Testing program (PARRT), which brought critical testing directly to affected nursing facilities and assisted living communities during the early months of the pandemic when testing capacity was unable to keep up with the need in long-term care. PARRT also filled an urgent need for expert consultation, guiding providers through steps to take when an outbreak was detected. To date, PARRT has helped test over 48,000 residents and staff of Ohio long-term care and assisted living facilities.
