Over 300 guests logged into YouTube or Zoom for a live virtual event, Thursday,September 3, in support of the Center for Pursuit Homemade in Texas Luncheon. The setting was the boardroom at the Baylor College of Medicine in the Medical Center. Incorporating social distancing provided the opportunity to hear from live, internationally recognized physicians Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine Baylor College of Medicine, and Dr. James McDeavitt, leader of Baylor’s Incident Command Center that is responding to COVID-19, Senior Vice President and Dean of Clinical Affairs Baylor College of Medicine. Khambrel Marshall emceed the day for the Center for Pursuit and the interview with the doctors.
Chairs Raj and Harsha Naran, Rishi and Shivani Naran, Jeff and Prina Spillane were thrilled with the funds raised of over $170,000. The organization is watching for more as donations continue to flow in online.
The Center for Pursuit helps empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to live meaningful, dignified lives filled with opportunity.
Starting the event was a video from Mayor Sylvester Turner along with recognition to Tom Landis, Founder Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, who purposefully designed his company to employ people with all types of disabilities and Frances Castañeda Dyess, President of Houston East End Chamber of Commerce who brings together business partners from all industries and professions primarily in the East End where The Center’s new campus is being built.
All in attendance especially enjoyed the interview with the doctors which they found to be very informative, engaging, and provided excellent guidance for where we are and where we are going with the current pandemic. Dr. Hotez, who I frequently watch on National Cable News channels and his wife Ann have had a relationship with The Center for a long time as their adult daughter has autism and has intellectual disabilities. The Center, in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine, will be doing continuing research on autism and intellectual disabilities.
The current comments on COVID had encouraging and cautious remarks: Dr. Hotez said, “We are confident we likely will have multiple vaccines to prevent COVID-19. I am currently working on a new vaccine that will be producing 1 billion doses in India. The work on this vaccine has been done at Baylor College of Medicine of Tropical Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital for Vaccine Development, and with Dr. Maria Bottazzi. It is necessary to have multiple vaccines that are safe and effective to vaccinate 320 million in our country, but we will have them sometime next year in my opinion.”
The doctors also commented on the measures that they would like to see for safe reopening of schools and easing other restrictions – less than 200 new cases per day, the R value factor which measures the infectivity of the virus less than 1, and a test positivity rate less than 5% over a relatively sustained period of time. Currently we are moving in the right direction but not quite there yet. The important message- wearing your mask, socially distancing, and washing your hands is imperative to control the virus in the community.
Dr. McDeavitt gave a great analogy to keep in mind, “Controlling COVID-19 is like holding a beach ball underwater, as soon as you relax your grip the ball pops back up to the surface. The same for the virus, as soon as we let down our vigilance, relax masking and social distancing, we will see a resurgence in our community until we get a vaccine.”
The Center for Pursuit currently serves over 450 adults with I/DD in the Houston area. They tailor the support provided to the varied needs of the people and families served. Each day, in each program, they witness breakthroughs, tender moments, and everyday victories that affirm their steadfast commitment to the guiding principles of choice, growth, and personal independence, and the humanity within us all.