“This is unlike any other lab. It will be dedicated to WNC,” said Hector Romero, Chairman and CEO of Sanesco. “Western North Carolina is our home. We live here. We work here. Our kids went to school here. I am passionate about helping our community get through this pandemic. Providing reliable, fast, and accurate Covid-19 testing at our lab will not only help keep our friends, families, and neighbors safer, but it can provide more accessible testing options for the underserved and vulnerable populations who have been disproportionately affected.”
Developing a meaningful response to Covid-19 and its impacts to the regional economy has been front and center for Dogwood, the nonprofit charged with distributing $1.5 billion from the sale of Mission hospital to HCA. Improving access to jobs and supporting economic development in the region is one of Dogwood’s four key strategic priority areas. The health trust's investment in Sanesco helps accomplish both purposes, supporting a laboratory expansion that is dedicated to serving WNC and that will result in the creation of some 25 new jobs within the next two years.