Earlier this week, Battle Ground HealthCare (BGHC) was awarded a $65,000 grant to fund the hiring of a nurse practitioner. This new position will assist in meeting the increased demand for care as a result of COVID-19. The addition was made possible through a rapid-response grant from the SW Washington COVID Response Fund.

Many clients of the facility have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. The layoffs and employer cuts seen around the country have an amplified impact on lower-income patients who rely on clinic services.

The current pandemic has been a challenge to healthcare providers across the country and BGHC is no exception.

Early on we saw the need to rethink the way we deliver care Executive Director for BGHC Sue Neal said in a news release. Shifts to telephone and video visits met short-term needs, but we serve patients with chronic conditions who have highly complex medical needs and these solutions are not sustainable in the long run. A part-time nurse practitioner will allow us to get our patients back into the clinic, see more patients and offer flexibility when our patients experience acute needs outside of their regular appointments.

This grant is a recognition of the role free clinics have in meeting healthcare needs during this pandemic, Board President Adam Lee said. Partners like the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington and those who contributed to the COVID Response Fund enable the work we do. Without support from outside organizations and from our generous donors, we would not be able to continue our life-changing work.

While the COVID Response Fund grant will provide the short-term funding needed during the current pandemic, BGHC will be seeking additional grants and funding to continue in this increased capacity on an ongoing basis.

The Reflector

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Battle Ground HealthCare awarded $65000 grant for COVID-19 support - The Reflector

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.

The first round of COVID-19 tests related to the health-care worker at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) have all returned negative.

Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.'s chief public health officer, confirmed the results in an evening media release on Friday, July 17. Following her announcement that a health-care worker tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, a large number of people were tested to be on the safe side.

Overall, 613 QEH staff and 145 Island EMS staff were tested, and along with the previously reported case of a woman in her 80s, 94 patients that the health-care worker had contact with were tested - all tests returned negative.

An additional six patients from out of province were contacted and advised to be tested. As well, 61 patients and 30 staff members will require a second test, which will be completed by July 19.

Between July 12 and 16, a total of 2,054 lab tests were completed at the QEH lab.

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First round of COVID-19 tests related to health-care worker return negative - The Guardian

Investors often consider the healthcare sector a "defensive" one because people get sick in good economic times and bad. Thus, the stocks tend to hold up in times when worries about the economy abound.

That maxim has pretty much been tossed out the window in 2020, along with much of conventional investing wisdom. The healthcare sector has been thrown into turmoil with stay-at-home orders and clinic closures. But biotech stocks have been doing very well, with the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) up 16% this year.

For investors looking for places to put money in the midst of uncertainty about the direction of the pandemic, stocks of companies in the forefront of important medical advances hold promise for the long term. BioNTech(NASDAQ:BNTX), NeoGenomics (NASDAQ:NEO), and Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) are three companies that should come through the pandemic era stronger than ever.

Image source: Getty Images.

Stocks that are in the race for a COVID-19 vaccine have seen their shares soar in the past four months, but German biotech BioNTech is still a good buy for the long term. Despite a big partner for the vaccine in Pfizerand an approach based on the same technology as Moderna's, shares haven't risen as far as those of Moderna, and BioNTech's market capitalization is only two-thirds of it.

BioNTech is differentiated from its competitors in that it has four vaccines for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, each with a unique messenger RNA (mRNA) format, in clinical tests designed to quickly narrow down to the most promising candidate. On July 1, the company and Pfizer reported very positive results from a phase 1/2 trial of one of the four candidates, saying that the blood concentration of neutralizing antibodies in the subjects were up to 2.8 times higher than in patients who had recovered from the virus. Still to come soon are results from the three other candidates, and the company expects to start a phase 2b/3 study this month with 30,000 participants.

But the reason to buy BioNTech for the long term isn't for a COVID-19 vaccine, although a win there would be a strong catalyst. The more important driver for the company's business is the company's rich pipeline of next-generation cancer immunotherapies. The company has 10 anti-cancer drugs in 11 clinical trials targeting melanoma and cancers of the breast, ovaries, prostate, pancreas, head and neck, and other solid tumors. BioNTech should produce a steady news flow of results from these trials in the coming months. Success is not a sure thing, but if the news is good, the stock should have a strong tailwind.

The pandemic caused hospitals and health centers to postpone elective medical procedures, but what was a little surprising was that even companies that provided services needed to treat severe diseases such as cancer saw a drop in business as the stay-at-home orders went into effect. NeoGenomics is the largest pure-play oncology testing company and saw its clinical test volume drop 20% year over year in the last two weeks of March and between 25% and 30% in April.

NeoGenomics is in a sweet spot in healthcare. Oncology is by far the largest area of investment among drug companies, with 40% of all U.S. clinical development spending going to cancer drug trials, about three times the amount for the therapy area in second place. Driving the industry are new approaches to therapies that target malignancies based on the specific biochemistry and genetics of different cancers. As medicines become more specific, testing becomes an increasingly important part of treatment, and NeoGenomics is growing sales both to clinicians working with cancer patients and to pharmaceutical companies developing new drugs.

NeoGenomics' business should bounce back quickly even if the pandemic resurges, given the urgency of treatment for seriously ill cancer patients. The company didn't furlough employees when the business dipped, so as to be better prepared for the rebound it expects. Revenue growth in the first quarter dipped to 11% after jumping 40% in the fourth quarter, and analysts are actually expecting a 15% decline in revenue when the company reports second-quarter results on July 28. The company continues to expect long-term organic growth in the mid-teens and will probably continue to grow by acquisition as well.

Investors have been buying the stock in recent weeks, after the company launched a new suite of liquid biopsy tests, enabling the detection of cancer biomarkers from blood samples when tissue specimens of solid tumors are hard to obtain. Low expectations in the near term, strong growth prospects for the long term, and the ability to innovate through internal development and partnerships make the stock a buy for patient investors.

Illumina dominates the market for gene sequencers, and even though COVID-19 research drove up sales of gene sequencing systems in the first quarter, the company expected sequential declines in revenue in every region in the second quarter. Shutdowns of research institutions and clinics should take a toll on the company's results, which will be reported on Aug. 3.

But longer term, the company is in great shape. The use of genetic information in the diagnosis and treatment of disease is accelerating, while large-scale population studies just getting under way when the pandemic hit will eventually drive big increases in sales of the supplies used in operating Illumina's instruments.

Illumina's business tends to follow the company's cycle of new product introductions. The launch of a major new platform, such as the mid-range sequencers the company announced in January, can cause a temporary slowing of sales as customers stop buying older models, but then it can fuel a strong, multi-year surge in growth as higher sequencing speeds at lower costs draw in new customers. That scenario appears to be playing out this year, with first-quarter revenue up only 2% because of soft system sales, but with almost half of early sales of the new NextSeq 2000 system going to customers who were buying their first Illumina product.

Gene sequencing produces massive amounts of data, so Illumina directs some of its investment to tools that help clinicians and researchers make sense of it all. The company this month launched new software to help detect genetic diseases from genomic information and last month acquired Dutch software company BlueBee, maker of cloud software for interpreting genomic data.

Illumina should emerge from the COVID-19 era stronger than ever, and its latest new products should give the company a boost going into 2021.

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3 Top Healthcare Stocks to Buy Right Now - The Motley Fool

The company is collaborating with national provider Crossover Health to pilot convenient health centers near its fulfillment centers and operations facilities in Texas, with additional centers planned for other states in months ahead

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced a health care pilot with Crossover Health, an expert in comprehensive primary care services, to establish local, convenient health centers near Amazon fulfillment centers and operations facilities across the country. The first Neighborhood Health Center location will be available for Amazon employees and their families in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200714005697/en/

Amazon is piloting a new, health care benefit for employees by establishing local, convenient health centers near Amazon fulfillment centers and operations facilities across the country. The launch of the new Neighborhood Health Centers will provide a range of quality primary care services exclusively for Amazon employees further strengthening Amazons industry-leading benefits program, which provides comprehensive healthcare for employees starting on day one of employment. Through this initial pilot program, Amazon expects to establish 20 health centers in five cities across the U.S., improving access and care for more than 115,000 associates and their families. (Photo: Business Wire)

"Across the U.S., an increasing number of patients do not have easy access to a primary care physician and instead utilize emergency or urgent care options, which is not only more expensive for patients, but also overlooks important preventative care opportunities," said Darcie Henry, Amazons Vice President of Human Resources. "We want to solve that for our employees, and the launch of these new Neighborhood Health Centers will provide a range of quality primary care services for employees across the country further strengthening Amazons industry-leading benefits program, which provides comprehensive healthcare for employees starting on day one of employment."

Crossover Health is a national medical group that works with self-insured employers to connect every employeein headquarters or in dispersed locationsto an integrated care team that delivers comprehensive primary care to the whole family. The first Neighborhood Health Center for Amazon will be located in Las Colinas, Texas, with extended hours to accommodate various employee work schedules. The Neighborhood Health Center will be available exclusively to all local Amazon employees and their families. Crossover Health will fully operate and staff the Neighborhood Health Centers, which will provide full-spectrum acute, chronic, and preventive primary care, prescription medications, vaccinations, behavioral health services, physical therapy, chiropractic care, health coaching, and care navigation to specialty referral services. To support families, same-day pediatric services will also be available. Crossover Healths proprietary technology platform allows patients to start nearly all of their care online and then transition to in-person care as needed.

"Prevention and early detection is essential to remaining healthy, and the importance of primary care cannot be understated. I appreciate seeing the collaboration between Amazon and Crossover Health to ensure their employees have access to quality and convenient health care services. I am also pleased that this pilot program will run in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The health and wellness opportunities Amazon is providing its employees should spark inspiration for other companies to follow suit in providing similar benefits," said Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D.

Story continues

Through this initial pilot program, Amazon expects to establish 20 health centers in five cities across the U.S., improving access and care for more than 115,000 associates and their families in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Phoenix, AZ; Louisville, KY; Detroit, MI; and San Bernardino/Moreno Valley, CA. If the pilot is successful, the company will look to roll out similar facilities in other cities and states.

"We are proud to collaborate with Amazon to support the health and wellness of Amazons employees. Crossover Health believes that exceptional primary care is central to continued health and well-being," said Scott Shreeve, MD, CEO and co-founder of Crossover Health. "Now its more important than ever to make care available through multiple channels and across the full continuum. Our advanced primary care model will serve as vital infrastructure to deliver expanded access to care in-person and online to meet the needs of Amazons employees and their families."

This new benefit further strengthens Amazons commitment to the health and wellness of its people and providing an industry-leading benefits package for employees, which includes a $15 minimum wage, comprehensive healthcare for full-time employees including full health, dental and vision, from day one, a 401(k) program with 50 percent company match, up to 20 weeks paid parental leave, infertility and adoption benefits, and flexible Leave Share and Ramp Back Programs that allow new parents to share their paid leave with their spouse or partner, then return to work at their own pace. The company also offers an innovative Career Choice Program, which pre-pays 95 percent of tuition for courses in high-demand fields. Since the programs launch eight years ago, more than 25,000 employees in 14 countries have pursued degrees in game design, visual communications, nursing, IT programming, and radiology, to name a few.

Amazon also recently announced a new family care benefit through Care.com, which provides each of its 650,000 U.S. employees up to 10 days of subsidized emergency backup child or adult care between now and October 2. Read more about Amazons comprehensive healthcare benefits.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200714005697/en/

Contacts

Amazon.com, Inc.Media HotlineAmazon-pr@amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/pr

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Amazon Makes Health Care Access Even Easier for Employees with Launch of New Third-Party Health Centers - Yahoo! Voices

Michigan-based McLaren Health Care used Gannetts sponsored content offering to share critical messages during the pandemic with a more nuanced, responsive approach than it could achieve with just banner ads.

For example, the health care company noticed many patients were avoiding medical treatment for potential strokes and heart attacks, fearful of exposure to the coronavirus. So it developed content that explained how social distancing was practiced in emergency rooms. It also touted its FastER Care, where people can see real-time wait times for its ER.

Our marketing and messaging have played a large role in communicating to the community the steps that we have taken to ensure safety and to convey that it is safe to seek treatment when needed, said McLaren Health Care marketing manager Linda Toomey.

McLaren Health Care already used Gannetts advertising products dubbed LOCALiQ before the pandemic hit. It wrote health care articles to paint a picture of patient experience and to educate on services offered, Toomey said. The articles were distributed to local audiences reading USA Today, the Lansing State Journal and Detroit Free Press.

During the pandemic, McLaren continued to follow that mission but adapted to what people were worried about such as seeking care for conditions not related to the coronavirus.

McLaren also works with Gannett to extract insights to make its advertising more effective.

McLaren Health Care A/B tests to compare difference ad creatives and continuously monitors click-through rate to track campaign effectiveness.

The health care marketer also uses a tool that identifies trending question and search terms for its content, Toomey said.

In the short time that we have been optimizing our content we have seen an overall increase in our average page views, unique visitors and average attention seconds, she said.

The content outperforms USA Today benchmarks almost universally, particularly human-interest stories.

The highest-viewed articles are those which highlight people detailing their journey, Toomey said. Ultimately, the more humanized the content, the better the performance.

Working with LOCALiQ also gave McLaren Health Care actionable insights. People searched for the term coronavirus more than COVID, for example, which helped the company better tailor its articles.

The pandemic has underscored the importance of local media in helping people understand how a global threat affects an individual community.

Gannett CRO Kevin Gentzel hopes that the strong results delivered for local brands using LOCALiQs suite of ad products, especially sponsored content, during a challenging time like a pandemic will unlock further growth for the local media company.

If the local media company can help local business owners solve for complexity in marketing for the digital world, not just provide access to local audiences, it can help them understand their local market and steer their business better than remote platforms can during an unprecedented time.

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McLaren Health Care Embraces Local Advertising During The Pandemic - AdExchanger

When it comes to health care exchange-traded funds in 2020, it's a case of haves and have nots.

What To Know:The health care ETF haves are those with robust exposure to Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), or at the very least, hefty allocations to some of the other companies pacing the coronavirus vaccine competition.

In theory, the ARK Genomic Revolution ETF (CBOE:AKRG) is a health care ETF have not. As in the fund has no exposure to Moderna, but that's not preventing the actively managed ARKG from delivering a year-to-date gain of 66.41%.

Why It's Important:Outperformance is old hat for AKRG. Over the past three years, the ETF is up 164.7%. Looked at differently, the returns of the S&P 500 Health Care Index and the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index over that same period could be combined and then doubled and the result would be a percentage that still lags ARKG.

Of course, all of that is in the past, but the long-term outlook for genomics investing is bright.

Over the last five years, we have passed key inflection points in the ability to access, manipulate, and understand the molecular building blocks of the human body, writes ARK Director of Research Brett Winton in a recent paper. The genomic age of medicine promises profound ramifications for human health and for the companies involved, among them: (i) tool providers that enable basic research, sharpen the precision of diagnostics, and guide personalized medicine; (ii) diagnostic platforms deploying data that informs the treatment of disease; (iii) and other companies deploying technology and data to create next-generation treatments and cures, increasing returns on therapeutic research and development for the first time in 20 years.

As noted above, in 2020, it's easy for investors to be seduced by health care ETFs highly levered to COVID-19 vaccines, but there's more to the ARKG story and that story extends beyond the time when the virus is a thing of the past.

ARK Invest estimates that by 2024 therapeutic pipelines and tool providers should generate hundreds of billions of dollars in the new revenue and trillions in new market capitalizations as they transition to the genomic age, notes Winton.

What's Next?There are several genomics sub-segments represented in ARKG, but one of the more compelling is Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR). CRISPR is a cornerstone of the livable drugs market.

The addressable market for living drugs in oncology could exceed $200 billion annually as they impact more types of cancer at earlier stages than historically has been the case. Enabled by gene-editing, the applications could extend well beyond oncology, impacting the longevity of human life materially, according to ARK.

Good news: CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) is ARKG's second-largest holding at a weight of 11.28%. That stock is up almost 88% over the past 90 days.

2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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It's One Of This Year's Best Health Care ETFs And It Doesn't Own Any Moderna - Benzinga

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The members of the Barrons Roundtable see numerous bargains among health-care stocks. The conversations below are excerpted from our recent Midyear Roundtable, published on July 10. To read the entire Roundtable, click here.

Rupal J. Bhansali, CIO and portfolio manager, International & Global Equities, Ariel Investments:

I have three health-care names. GlaxoSmithKline [ticker: GSK] yields almost 5% and offers single-digit organic earnings growth. Gilead Sciences [GILD] has a 3.5% dividend yield, with underlying growth coming from its core franchise in HIV and, potentially, remdesivir, a drug that could be used to treat Covid-19. Roche Holding [RHHBY] is a leading player in oncology. Telecoms and health-care companies have strong balance sheets, strong market positions, and undervalued shares.

Glaxo, Gilead, and Roche are platform companies, as opposed to product companies. Their successor drugs come off the same mechanism of action and knowledge base as prior drugs. The risk of failure is lower, and the probability of approval is greater. We dont like Apple [AAPL], for instance, because it is a product company. If the next product doesnt sell well, thats problematic as earnings prospects become binary rather than bankable.

Scott Black, founder and president, Delphi Management:

Bristol-Myers Squibb [BMY] is trading around $60. The company has a $134 billion market cap and pays a $1.80 annual dividend, for a yield of 3%. Bristol has reported quarterly earnings growth for the past five years, minus one quarter in 2017. Its strengths are in oncology and hematology, although it has a blockbuster cardiovascular drug, Eliquis. Eight of its drugs have more than $1 billion in yearly sales. The company has nine drugs in Phase 3 trials, and figures it could commercialize 20-plus new drugs in the next 10 years. That would add at least $20 billion in new revenue.

We expect Bristol-Myers to generate $41.8 billion of revenue this year, and earn about $6.20 a share, versus $4.69 in 2019. Revenue will get a one-time pop of about 60% because of last years acquisition of Celgene. For next year, we have modeled 7.5% revenue growth on the conservative side, or $45 billion, and earnings after taxes of $16.5 billion, or $7.33 a share. Using more-optimistic assumptions, the company could earn $17 billion, or $7.55 a share, on $45.6 billion of revenue. The shares trade for 7.9 times expected earnings, which is ludicrous. Bristol-Myers will generate more than $14 billion of free cash this year. Its net debt-to-equity ratio is 0.55. Return on equity is around 26%.

William Priest, executive chairman and co-CIO, Epoch Investment Partners:

Thermo Fisher Scientific [TMO] sells scientific instruments, lab equipment, diagnostics consumables, and life-sciences reagents. This is a razor/razor-blade model; as the installed base of equipment expands, Thermo retains an attractive annuity stream from servicing the equipment and selling higher-margin consumables.

At $360 a share, the market cap is roughly $145 billion. Net debt totals $17 billion. The stock is trading for 26 times forward earnings. Management continues to drive top-line growth through investment in research and development, which leads to new-product innovation and improved pricing, and accretive acquisitions. We like the companys plan to acquire Qiagen [QGEN], a leading molecular-diagnostic-equipment and consumables provider, for $10 billion.

Our six-to-12-month target price for Thermo Fisher is $420 a share, or 30 times our 2022 free-cash-flow estimate of $14 a share. We estimate near-term downside risk to $300 a share.

Henry Ellenbogen, CIO and managing partner, Durable Capital Partners:

My second pick is Abcam [ABC.UK], a small-cap company that trades in the U.K. It operates in the biologic-drugs industry, a fantastic end market that will have strong secular growth for years to come. At the very beginning of the drug-discovery process, scientists need certain key ingredients. Abcam is the global market leader in selling those antibodies to researchers. It has continued to gain share in its core market while extending into other areas, including amino acids and proteins. It should be able to compound for many years.

It is a niche industry, but this is a highly strategic asset. Abcam has revenue of a bit less than 300 million pounds sterling [$378.5 million], even though it has close to a 30% market share in its core business. It is headquartered in Cambridge in the U.K., but we think about it as a global company.

Write to Lauren R. Rublin at lauren.rublin@dowjones.com

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6 Health Care Stocks to Buy for the Second Half of 2020 - Barron's

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) also known as Obamacare is ten years old. However, with ten years of hindsight, it is clear the ACA has been anything but affordable for Nebraska families. In the Third District, insurance on the ACA exchange often costs upwards of $30,000 for a family when you include annual premiums and deductible. Despite the ACA raising health insurance rates instead of lowering them, this week Speaker Pelosi brought a new ACA expansion bill (H.R. 1425) before the House of Representatives.

The insurance scheme developed by the ACA does not work rather than effectively lowering costs, its mandates have spiked insurance rates for those who have to pay for coverage out of pocket. In fact, rather than truly address the forces driving health costs, more than half of House Democrats would prefer to enact Medicare for All a bill they have cosponsored to initiate a full-scale government takeover of our nations health care system with a $32 trillion price tag.

H.R. 1425 would not only pour more money into subsidies and bureaucracy to paper over Obamacares failures, it would also implement government mandated drug price controls, and punish states which chose not to expand Medicaid. What we really need are reforms which give Americans more control over their care and increased competition to bring more affordable coverage.

With an ongoing, worldwide pandemic, we also need pharmaceutical innovations new vaccines and medicines more than ever. Instead, H.R. 1425 would institute government price-fixing which has been repeatedly proven to reduce future innovation. This means fewer medical breakthroughs, and fewer new cures. If the government stifles innovation, taxpayers will be on the hook for the slow and expensive development of urgently needed new vaccines or cures.

I was disappointed when H.R. 1425 passed the House of Representatives, but it stands no chance of being passed by the Senate or signed into law by President Trump. Instead of this partisan exercise, we should work together to address surprise billing and drug prices.

In the Ways and Means Committee, I have been working with my colleagues on these issues for a year and a half and we have identified a number of bipartisan solutions which would reduce drug prices and improve access to health care. I stand ready to continue working together, toward these real solutions which can pass both houses of Congress and be signed by President Trump to improve health care for all Americans.

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ADRIAN SMITH: Going the Wrong Way on Health care - Scottsbluff Star Herald

Jefferson Ketchel, MA RS, is the Executive Director of the Washington State Public Health Association. In this commentary, he discusses sustained investments in public health. This piece is part of a series of commentaries focused on transforming public health released throughout this week. The other commentaries are available here and here.

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

-Lao Tzu

In life there are few certainties, but 2020 has had several, so far.

It was hard to imagine it was only just over a year ago that we were in the midst of a measles outbreak and working together to address the opioid crisis. As we struggled to stop the spread of disease and prevent illness and premature death we should have realized at the time these events were canaries in the coal mine warning us of a fractured system that would soon be put to an ultimate test.

However, I am truly impressed with what we are able to do with what we have. Thanks to tireless and courageous people in healthcare, and with the planning, contact tracing, social distancing, and mask utilization, Washington State has done a decent job flattening the curve. Some of these tools are as old as history, but that is because they work. This was accomplished without a vaccine, therapeutic and adequate testing capacity, limited PPE, AND with a barebones public health system. At the same time, that system is getting by on some incredibly outdated and sporadically functioning technology. Imagine how many illnesses could have been prevented, economic damages minimized, and lives saved if we had the public health system our communities deserve and one that addressed racist structures that perpetuate poor health for marginalized populations?

Public health has gotten used to one-time funding amidst crises. However, it does not solve much and perpetuates the failed system that will once again not be properly prepared for the next event or address systemic injustices. This emphasizes that we are a Band-Aid society that prevents us from getting to the root of problems. Just imagine what could be done with sufficient health monitoring, disease investigation, coordination, and a focus on healthier communities.

Health shouldnt be a luxury item. Public health has developed the Foundational Public Health Services, which are services that are unique to government and should be afforded to all Washingtonians. If they were present state-wideconsistently and equitablywe could raise all boats and be able to coordinate and prevent crises big, small, and persistent. While some small investments have been made (without them, things would have been much worse), public health has attempted for several years to get these services sustainably funded but have hit wall after wall.

While the social determinants of health (racism, housing, education, employment) have significant impacts on healthy years of life, the political determinants of health impact our ability to actually fix them. There are powerful lobbies for tobacco, sugar-sweetened beverages, and others. Where are the lobbies for public health?

I ask that health care and insurers be leaders in advocating for investment in the public health system. Alone, no hospital, clinic, or payer can solve public health problems.

The system is working exactly as it was designedand were getting what we paid for. We can do so much better. We need your alliance. Join us.

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Healthcare and Insurers, we need to talk. signed Public Health - State of Reform - State of Reform

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the Special Enrollment Period for uninsured New Yorkers will be extended for another 30 days, through August 15, 2020, as the State continues to provide supportive services during the COVID-19 public health crisis.New Yorkers can apply for coveragethroughNY State of Health, New York State's health insurance marketplace, or directly through insurers.

"During these difficult and unprecedented times, access to quality, affordable health care is critically important to New Yorkers' well-being," Governor Cuomo said. "While we're continuing to move in the right direction, we know we're not out of the woods yet and by extending the open enrollment period we're making sure New Yorkers who need affordable health care coverage can get it and help keep themselves and their families safe."

NY State of Health Executive Director, Donna Frescatore said, "At this unprecedented time in our state and nation's history, we want to remind New Yorkers that NY State of Health is here as a safety net. Individuals can find and enroll in affordable, comprehensive health insurance coverage, and our Customer Service Center and enrollment assistors are available to help with this process."

Superintendent of Financial Services Linda A. Lacewell said, "New York bent the curve but it remains critically important for all New Yorkers to have access to quality and affordable commercial health insurance. This special enrollment period extension is one of the many ways New York is continuing to work together with the commercial health industry to serve the needs of vulnerable New Yorkers. DFS is proud to be a part of this effort to keep New Yorkers healthy and safe."

NY State of Health, together with the State Department of Financial Services and New York State insurers, are taking this action in light of the COVID-19 public health emergency so that individuals do not avoid seeking testing or medical care for fear of cost. Individuals who have lost employer coverage must apply within 60 days of losing that coverage and individuals who have lost income may be eligible for Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, or subsidized Qualified Health Plans.

Individuals who enroll in Qualified Health Plans through NY State of Health or directly through insurers by August 15, 2020 will have a choice of coverage start date either August 1 or September 1, 2020. Individuals who are eligible for other NY State of Health programs - Medicaid, Essential Plan and Child Health Plus - can enroll year-round. Finally, as directed by Governor Cuomo, all New York insurers havewaivedcost sharing for COVID-19 testing.

As always, consumers can apply for coverage through NY State of Health online atnystateofhealth.ny.gov, by phone at 1-855-355-5777, and by connecting with a free enrollment assistor.

Additional information on NY State of Health insurance options during the Coronavirus emergency can be found here. Department of Financial Services information and resources during the Coronavirus emergency can be found here.

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As Part of New York's Ongoing Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Announces Special Health Insurance Enrollment Extension Through NY...

TEHAMA COUNTY, Calif. -Health care workers in four counties will receive free reusable face shields donated by North Valley Community Foundation and Feather River Health Foundation due to a unique partnership that involved public health departments such as Chico State University and Idea Fab Labs.

It has been incredible to watch this come together, said David Little, executive vice president of NVCF. Everybody recognized a need for personal protective equipment for all health care workers, from doctors in emergency rooms to hygienists in dental offices. Then everyone worked to figure out how to make it happen.

The project started at Idea Fab Labs, a Chico Tech company when Enloe Medical Center requested face shields from Erin Banwell, the Idea Fab Labs director.

A team of professors joined Enloe Medical Center in creating a 3D printable frame that supports a clear plastic face shield.

The North Valley Community Foundation stepped in and offered funding for the face shields and included three surrounding counties which includes Butte, Glenn, and Colusa.

With an increasing demand for the face shields, Greg Watkins, chair of the universitys Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering and Sustainable Manufacturing, received permission from the university to begin producing the frames by using plastic injection molding machines in the engineering labs on campus.

This started as a volunteer effort from engineering faculty and students who wanted to help out, said Watkins. Everybody came together and put in a lot of hours to make this happen. Its gratifying to see our students apply their design and manufacturing education and utilize our campus facilities to help out the local medical community.

The Public Health Departments for all four counties said they conducted surveys to decide on a number of face shields needed for each county and the shields will be given to hospitals, doctors offices, urgent care clinics, dental offices, veterans clinics, student health centers and more.

NVCF and Feather River Health Foundation split the cost of plastic materials in order for the shields to be donated. NVCF and Feather River Health Foundation both have coronavirus relief funds and this month formed a partnership to combine resources. For more information on how to donate to NVCFs Coronavirus Rapid Response Fund, visithttps://www.nvcf.org/coronavirus-covid-19-rapid-response

The rest is here:

Health care workers in 4 counties to receive free face shields - Action News Now

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger will host a telephone town hall from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Wednesday with Virginia Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver to discuss challenges facing Central Virginia patients and health-care providers as the COVID-19 crisis continues.

Constituents can phone in to listen or participate. The live event will also be streamed on Spanbergers website and Facebook page.

Spanberger and Oliver will deliver updates on Virginias current COVID-19 situation, and answer questions from 7th District residents about the state and federal responses to the coronavirus pandemic.

Spanberger also will answer questions about her work in Congress to protect coverage for Central Virginians with pre-existing conditions and lower drug costs for 7th District seniors and families.

As our nation experiences surges in COVID-19, we need to take responsible steps that protect our most vulnerable neighbors, keep our healthcare workers safe, and make sure our small businesses can reopen without putting their employees and customers at risk, Spanberger said in a statement. In recent weeks, Ive listened to healthcare providers and experts describe their concerns about continued PPE shortages, rising prescription drug costs, and the need for strengthened federal assistance for nursing homes and community clinics.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Wednesdays telephone town hall will be Spanbergers seventh free, public telephone town hall focused on the impacts of the virus on Central Virginia families, businesses and seniors.

Last month, she hosted a virtual telephone town hall with U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), Virginia Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Janice Underwood and VCU Massey Cancer Center Director Robert Winn to discuss the pandemics disproportionate impacts on minority communities in Central Virginia and across the country. Click here to watch a full recording of the event.

Last month, Spanberger voted with a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass legislation that would protect health-care coverage for millions of Virginians with pre-existing conditions, reduce premiums and lower prescription drug costs for Central Virginia seniors and families.

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At 6:45 p.m. today, Spanberger to host COVID-19 health-care town hall - starexponent.com

TUCSON (KVOA) - According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, 600 health care workers from across the country will soon be on the ground across Arizona over the next six weeks.

These frontline workers will help hospital staff as the pandemic shows little sign of slowing in this hotspot.

Dr. Christian Moher is a family medicine physician at Escalera Health in Tucson.

He works closely with doctors and nurses at Tucson Medical Center and knows this help comes at a critical time.

"All of my coworkers and friends who work in the hospital are exhausted and they desperately need some relief. They need some time off, they need to be with their families so having these people come and serve our community is a huge win for us," said Moher.

More than 40 out-of-state health care workers just left TMC after a two-week deployment.

A hospital spokesperson said it will get 12 people on the ground from this group of 600.

A spokesperson for Northwest Medical Center said 14 ICU nurses and four med/surg nurses will come to that hospital.

Moher said he's grateful to his colleagues from across the nation who will soon be here to help

"I don't think that in my wildest dreams when I was sitting in the third row at the University of Arizona College of Medicine studying to become a doctor that I could have imagined that our health care system could be as stressed as it is," he said.

See more here:

Hundreds of health care workers coming to Arizona to battle COVID-19 - KVOA Tucson News

Norton Healthcare has named Kelly C. McCants, M.D., acting executive director of the newly formed Norton Healthcare Institute for Health Equity.

Dr. McCants currently serves as Norton Healthcares medical director of advanced heart failure. He will hold both positions while the institute is being established. Dr. McCants will report to Russell F. Cox, president and CEO, Norton Healthcare and join the organizations executive team.

Norton Healthcares mission calls on us to respond to the needs of our community, and clearly our community is in need, Cox said. Dr. McCants is uniquely qualified for this role. Through his work with heart failure patients, he and his team have demonstrated the power of addressing socioeconomic dynamics in order to achieve heart recovery. He has a true passion for addressing health disparity, and we are fortunate that he has agreed to balance the role while continuing to care for his patients.

Last month, Cox announced the creation of the Norton Healthcare Institute for Health Equity as one of five initiatives to address inequalities within the community. The primary focus of the institute will be to identify and remove obstacles that prevent people in underserved areas from receiving the health care they deserve, as well as to eliminate disparities in care.

The premise of the institute is that health equity can only be achieved when every person has a fair opportunity to achieve their full health potential, Dr. McCants said. Im so proud that Norton Healthcare is striving for a future free of health inequities and is committing its time, talents and resources in pursuit of this essential human right.

Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Dr. McCants said he drew inspiration from his mother and older brother. He is the first physician and only the fourth college graduate among 54 members of his extended family. His brother, now a police captain, and his mother, who went back to school at age 40, were the first and second college graduates.

Dr. McCants attended Tennessee State University, Nashville, before going to Meharry Medical College, also in Nashville. He completed his internship, residency and fellowship at the University of Louisville. He returned to Louisville after a stint at Atlanta, Georgias Piedmont Hospital, where he was director of cardiac transplantation.

We know that this leadership model requires investing in passionate people to continue the success of our heart failure program and to move this health equity initiative forward, Cox said. We are committed to success and will do what is needed so that everyone has access to the health care they need.

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Norton Healthcare names acting executive director of Norton Healthcare Institute for Health Equity - Norton Healthcare

Getty Images Overnight Health Care: Fauci says 'bizarre' efforts to discredit him only hurt the White House | Alabama to require face masks | House panel probes 'problematic' government contracts

Welcome to Wednesday's Overnight health care.

Anthony Fauci spoke out on attacks against him from the White House, the Alabama governor is requiring face masks and the Oklahoma governor has coronavirus himself.

We'll start with Fauci.

Fauci says 'bizarre' efforts to discredit him only hurt the White House

Anthony Fauci said the efforts to discredit him from some in the Trump administration are "bizarre" and a poor reflection on the president.

In an interview with The Atlantic published Wednesday, the nation's top infectious diseases expert responded to news that the White House sent out a memo over the weekend detailing "wrong" statements he had made about the pandemic.

"I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that," Fauci said. "I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because it's only reflecting negatively on them."

Context: The White House press shop sent some media outlets a list of "wrong" statements Fauci has made on the pandemic, and President Trump's top trade adviser Peter Navarro published an op-ed in USA Today claiming Fauci has been wrong about "everything."

"I stand by everything I said," Fauci told The Atlantic. "Contextually, at the time I said it, it was absolutely true."

Read more on the interview here.

Navarro-Fauci battle intensifies, to detriment of Trump

Navarro's battle with Fauci intensified on Wednesday, putting the White House in a difficult position as it struggles to downplay evidence of a rift between Trump and one of the nation's most trusted health experts.

The White House communications team on Wednesday sought to distance itself from Navarro's USA Today op-ed, saying that the piece did not go through normal clearance processes and represents the opinion of Navarro alone.

Trump told reporters Wednesday that he has a "very good relationship" with Fauci and said Navarro shouldn't be making statements "representing himself," referring to the op-ed.

Less Navarro? Officials familiar with Navarro's standing in the White House did not expect Navarro to be fired but said he may be temporarily reined in from doing so many media appearances. They noted he has in the past gone beyond administration talking points, requiring other aides to do clean up.

Read more here.

Alabama to require face masks

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) announced a mandatory statewide mask order Wednesday, citing a 50 percent increase in new COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks.

"Despite all our best efforts, we're seeing increases in cases every day still occurring and we're almost to the point where hospital ICUs are overwhelmed," Ivey said at a press conference.

Alabama reported 2,141 new cases overnight, bringing the state's total number of confirmed cases to more than 58,000.

Ivey, who was reluctant to issue a mask order earlier in the pandemic, said she believes it will be hard to enforce.

Context: More than 20 states now require masks in public. Ivey's order expires July 31, but experts note that mask-wearing needs to be a long-term measure while the virus is still spreading.

Read more here.

House panel probes 'problematic' government contracts for COVID-19 supplies

Democrats on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis are asking Trump officials to explain contracts for personal protective equipment, testing supplies and other materials that they say went to companies with political ties to the administration or that were unprepared to fill the orders.

Examples they point to:

The significance: Democrats on the committee, led by Chairman James Clyburn (S.C.), said the contracting practices could be "contributing to shortages" of protective equipment and other supplies, if contracts are going to unqualified companies unable to properly fill the orders.

Read more here.

WHO warns COVID-19 pandemic lowering childhood vaccination rates worldwide

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a major plunge in childhood vaccination rates worldwide, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning the effects of children missing routine immunizations could become even worse than the pandemic itself.

The emergence of COVID-19 threatens to reverse "hard-won progress to reach more children and adolescents with a wider range of vaccines," the WHO said.

A WHO survey - conducted in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - found three-quarters of responding countries reported COVID-19 related disruptions in their vaccine programs as of May.

One example: Preliminary data for the first four months of 2020 points to a substantial drop in the number of children completing three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3). According to WHO, this is the first time in 28 years that the world could see a reduction in DTP3 coverage.

Read more here.

Oklahoma governor tests positive for COVID-19

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The governor made the announcement during a press conference, according to a local ABC affiliate is reporting. His test came back positive Tuesday afternoon.

Stitt, 48, said he believes he is the first governor in the nation to test positive for the virus. In March, one of his Cabinet members, David Ostrowe, also tested positive.

The governor said he "feels fine" and that his wife and children have tested negative.

Stitt advocated for President Trump's in-person campaign rally in Tulsa last month. He attended the rally himself and was seen in images of the event not wearing a face mask.

Read more here.

What we're reading

As the coronavirus crisis spins out of control, Trump issues directives - but still no clear plan (Washington Post)

New coronavirus treatments are expected this fall. But how powerful will they be? (McClatchy)

Ben Carson on second coronavirus economic shutdown: 'You do that again, and you completely destroy the financial infrastructure' (Yahoo Finance)

State by state

Why Arizona wasn't ready for its coronavirus surge (The Wall Street Journal)

Investigation uncovers missteps in Washington, D.C.'s coronavirus response (NPR)

'Things ain't going back to normal': Californians reel as shutdown hits again (Guardian)

The Hill op-eds

Provider bias in health care

Listening to Trump gave Sunbelt governors a new COVID-19 headache

Video: White House officials working to undermine Faucis credibility (NBC News)

UP NEXT

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Overnight Health Care: Fauci says 'bizarre' efforts to discredit him only hurt the White House | Alabama to require face masks | House panel probes...

AURORA, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Simplify Healthcare is proud to support its not-for-profit affiliate, Makers Merci, in donating $10k towards COVID-19 relief efforts. Partnering with Loaves & Fishes Community Services, Makers Merci aims to provide food and other necessities to those who are most impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, including hourly workers, the homeless, and the elderly.

Backed by Simplify Healthcare, Makers Merci is a non-profit organization that primarily focuses on food assistance, education support and training, healthcare services support, and filling gaps in elderly and orphan care.

Given the health and economic crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic, more of our neighbors need support than ever before.

Loaves & Fishes is a leading community service committed to providing food and support to those in need. Makers Merci has partnered with the NGO to ensure the struggling families have access to all the necessities and resources they need to overcome the hunger and other problems during these unprecedented times.

Given the fortunate position we are in, we feel an obligation to support those who have experienced personal tragedy as a result of this pandemic. We are delighted to partner with Loaves & Fishes Community Services. This is a terrific organization who works hard every day and has such a meaningful impact supporting those most in need in our local community. - Mohammed Vaid, Founding Patron, Makers Merci

We appreciate the support we have received recently from a number of people in our community. We are grateful for your generosity. Mike Havala, CEO, Loaves & Fishes Community Services

ABOUT SIMPLIFY HEALTHCARE

Simplify Healthcare is a rapidly growing technology solutions provider that addresses the toughest challenges faced by Health Plans in todays competitive marketplace. Simplify Healthcare was awarded the Deloitte 2018 Technology Fast 500, recognized in the 2018 Inc. 5000 list of Americas fastest-growing private companies, listed as a sample vendor in 2018 Gartner Hype Cycle for value-based reconciliation solutions, won the 2018 Corp! Magazine Michigans Bright Spot award and Corp! 2016 Technology Innovation award, was named the sole leader in IDCs Health Plan Product/Plan Benefit Configuration Solutions Vendor Assessment in 2016 and voted the Best Newcomer for 2014 at the Healthcare IT Summit.

For more information, please visit simplifyhealthcare.com.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

ABOUT MAKERS MERCI

Driven by values and fueled by a passion for creating a better and sustainable world, Makers Merci is an initiative that alleviates poverty and delivers vital services, relief, and support to those in crisis.

The organization helps via donations or collaborates with volunteers and partners to spread smiles and help those in need. Its initiatives primarily focus on food assistance, education support and training, healthcare services support, and filling gaps in elderly and orphan care.

For more information, please visit makersmerci.org.

Follow Makers Merci on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

ABOUT LOAVES & FISHES COMMUNITY SERVICES

Loaves & Fishes Community Services began in a church closet serving eight families. Thirty-six years later, the organization is helping nearly 20,000 individuals each year, providing healthy food and impactful programs for self-sufficiency. Clients receive a good variety of food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, and eggs.

The Loaves & Fishes CARES programs help clients become self-sufficient through a variety of opportunities including resource meetings, public benefits, emergency assistance, car donations, Vita tax preparation, job readiness, computer classes, budget and credit classes, and Moving Up, a 16-session intensive to help clients overcome barriers so they can become self-sufficient.

Loaves & Fishes Community Services serves DuPage County and parts of Will County. They also have a satellite location at the Compass Church in Bolingbrook, IL.

For more information, please visit http://www.loaves-fishes.org.

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Simplify Healthcare supports Maker's Merci in partnering with Loaves & Fishes Community Services to help those impacted by COVID-19 - Business...

News

COVID-19 and its impact on rural broadband, healthcare

Rural broadband and healthcare providers continue to face challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Catherine Moyer, CEO of Kansas-based Pioneer Communications, says many schools and businesses moved online in a short amount of time and broadband providers had to adjust to meet the needs of the community.

We increased broadband speeds across the board, we increased capacity on our network both in our internal transport network but also to the outside world, we added additional Wi-Fi hotspots that we opened up to the public, and we also worked with our customers as they faced unexpected financial issues, she says.

Rick Breuer, CEO of Minnesota-based Community Memorial Hospital, says they were going to spend a year preparing a telehealth platform for the community and instead had it ready in two weeks because of COVID-19.

A lot of rural facilities were in the exact same boat because you just had to if you were going to maintain viable service, he says. So, we did it and we had a great team that got it up and running and we had very patient providers willing to work through all the bugs, he says.

He says telehealth services will remain in place long after the country recovers from the pandemic.

Breuer and Moyersay assistance from the administration has helped, but more must be done in thefuture.

Breuer says there are some rural clinics that havent been eligible for assistance, but he hopes they will be soon. Moyer says shes hopeful Congress will address universal service and the Keeping Critical Connections Act.

Breuer and Moyer made these comments during a from the farm gate webinar by Farm Credit.

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COVID-19 and its impact on rural broadband, healthcare - brownfieldagnews.com

South Carolina, the Upstate and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System are seeing a continued surge in COVID-19 cases that is starting to take a toll on staff members, the chief medical officer said Wednesday.

"There is no doubt this is one of the worst hot spots in the country and we have a serious crisis on our hands," Dr. Christopher Lombardozzi told SRHS trustees at their monthly meeting.

"As the cases continue to rise, it affects not just patients, not just the community, but also takes a toll on the physical and mental health of our team."

He said departments continue to work with doctors, nurses, therapists, lab technicians and administrators who have children at home.

"Some of our associates have had to leave because of day-cares closing," he said, adding that if schools stay closed the staffing adjustments will continue to be needed.

"As of (Wednesday), SRHS doesn't have a staffing shortage. However, our staff is strained and we are very concerned for the future," Lombardozzi said.

Through Memorial Day, he said the hospital might routinely see 10 hospitalizations for those with COVID-19 symptoms.

Since then, it's grown to about 60 positive COVID-19 hospitalizations, and this week 75, he said. On top of that, there are nearly 30 hospitalizations for those under investigation for the coronavirus, he said.

The hospital system still has more than enough critical care beds to handle the current and expected caseload of COVID patients, he said.

With hospitals in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties, "we are in relatively good position due to our ability to move patients throughout the system," he said.

Wednesday, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 97 new positive COVID-19 cases in Spartanburg County, bringing the county's total to 2,745 cases and 57 deaths. Saturday, the county saw its highest daily total to date, 126 new cases.

Just a couple weeks earlier, the county was averaging a little more than 50 new daily cases.

In other words, health officials don't know when the rising numbers will end, he said.

One reason for the high numbers is, more people are getting tested, he said.

"We're currently running 400 a day through those (three SRHS testing) sites," Lombardozzi said. "I imagine that will continue to increase."

Further, as the number of those tested continues to rise, so does the rate of those who test positive, he said. Roughly 22 percent of those tested are positive, he said, compared to before Memorial Day when the rate was as low as 4 or 5 percent.

Further, the average age of those who test positive has been dropping, from the 50s to about 41 years old, he said.

Statewide, he said DHEC has reported 46 percent of those who tested positive were white and 32 percent black.

"If there's any good news in this, the percent positive fell from 40 to 32 percent for blacks," he said. "It's still not reflective in the overall population of the state. Unfortunately, the minority population is over-represented when it comes to COVID."

Lombardozzi said the best advice is the same advice he's been giving since the start of the pandemic in early March.

"If there's one message for the community -- wear masks, wear masks, wear masks. They do work," he said. "The older age group is not testing positive in as high a degree as previously. They are adhering to our recommendations -- staying at home, wearing masks, washing their hands, maintaining physical distance and avoiding large congregations of people."

Meanwhile, the hospital system is seeing how big a hit financially caused by COVID-19 and postponement of elective surgeries.

Chief Financial Officer Bruce Davis said in May, net revenue was down $17 million. For the year, there has been a $24 million revenue gain, versus a $39 million gain that was budgeted.

"We're in great shape compared to other hospital systems out there," Davis said. "It's been a rough couple of months financially, but we remain strong."

Free coronavirus coverage: This story is free to all as a public service of The Spartanburg Herald-Journal during the coronavirus outbreak. You can support the Upstate reporters and photographers who are providing this coverage and other outstanding local journalism by becoming a subscriber.

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COVID-19 taking a toll on Spartanburg healthcare workers - Spartanburg Herald Journal

Data Sits at the Forefront of Improving Patient Experiences

Healthcare, especially now, is continuously evolving to better serve its patients and offer quality care. In recent months, healthcare providers have scaled their telehealth offerings from a mere handful of appointments each week to hundreds of sessions.

Ensuring a positive patient experience with the technology, however, requires more than just a dedicated and well-trained care provider. Thats why healthcare survey respondents (45 percent) cited the importance of redesigning processes to align with new technology and developing an organizationwide strategy to improve patient experiences (42 percent) as top initiatives in the next two years.

Its also worth noting that half of healthcare respondents plan to include the real-time capture of patient feedback on their list of improvements over that time, followed by creating or improving the online experience for patients (48 percent) and providing ways to access information securely from anywhere (47 percent). These investments go hand in hand with what experts recommend for transforming patient telehealth experiences.

And, of course, to make virtual care work seamlessly for patients, healthcare organizations understand theyll need to invest heavily in data and analytics technologies (61 percent), mobile apps (48 percent) and mobile devices (40 percent).

MORE FROM HEALTHTECH: Learn why predictive analytics are critical to better care delivery.

The scale at which telehealth, virtual care and remote work have grown during the pandemic is unprecedented. And supporting and sustaining this type of growth can only be achieved through a modern IT infrastructure.

Its good news, then, that an overwhelming majority of healthcare respondents feel that their organizations current technology infrastructure is either very well aligned (44 percent) or somewhat well aligned (48 percent) with its future vision and goals. In fact, only 8 percent of healthcare individuals responded that theyre not very well aligned.

That preparedness hasnt stopped organizations from looking to the future, though: 46 percent of respondents cited IT cost management as a priority to help them meet their business objectives over the next two years, followed by cloud monitoring/management (45 percent) and developing a long-term IT roadmap (41 percent).

Further supporting healthcares good positioning, respondents in IT roles expect that two years from now, 79 percent of their total IT environments will leverage cloud delivery models, preparing them for anything that might come their way.

Read more:

The IT Investment Priorities Shaping Healthcare Today - HealthTech Magazine

Earlyfearsthat the lives of the56 million Americansliving with a disability would be at risk of disparate care during theCOVID-19pandemic are coming to fruition. The death of a 46-year-old person with a disability from COVID-19 exposes the frightening reality that many people with disabilities live with. If they contract the virus, the provider's disability biases can result in inequitable care.

Last month, Michael Hickson, a 46-year-old man, was refused medical treatment for the virus, and life-sustaining care was removed by medical staff atSt. David's South Austin Medical Center in Texas. Six days later, he died. The fact that Mr. Hickson was a person with a disability was thejustificationhis physician gave.

In May of 2017, Mr. Hickson suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while driving his wife Melissa to work, resulting in brain damage that caused him to lose the ability to move.

I have worked for decades as an occupational therapist with people recovering from brain injuries similar to Mr. Hickson's and vow the majority continue to hold a vital and central role in the lives of spouses and children. I have also witnessed people who recover over an extended period, returning home and participating in everyday activities in ways their medical team thought impossible.

No choice was given to Mr. Hickson's family during the five-minute conversation with his physician describing the hospital's rationale for removing his lifesaving nutrition lines. In astatementon its website St. David describes a court-appointed guardian who had the decision-making power over his family and concluded with medical team collaboration to discontinue care. Astatementby the hospital's CEO describes how ill Mr. Hickson was and the legal processes that gave them the power to make this decision.

The local chapter ofADAPThas worked to expose this action as local and national media attention is inexplicably almost non-existent. This case is slowly gaining recognition only because the familyrecorded the sessionwith the physician and reached out to apro-lifeactivism group to help share their story.

While the nation cries out to expose murders ofBlack livesat the hands of police, there must be an equal outcry for ending disabled lives at the hands of state-appointed guardians. This is especially troubling when family voices are overpowered.

The reasons given for withholding treatment are blatantly and illegally discriminatory under recent federalHHS Office of Civil Rights COVID triage rulings.The rulings explicitly state that crisis standards of care must ensure that the criteria for providing care, including lifesaving care, does not discriminate against persons based on disability and age.Storiesof extreme, extended, and expensive lifesaving approaches for COVID-19 victims are heard daily for people without disability.

There are ethical concepts at conflict regarding the course ofremoving artificial life support technologywhen a person is considered to bebrain dead. There are alsodo-not-resuscitate(DNR) orders informing staff that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should not be performed in the event of the death of a person in their care. Neither scenario fits in the case of Mr. Hickson. Before becoming ill, he engaged with his wife and family, and he did not die of natural causes. The hospital, under orders from the state of Texas, withdrew care.

The civil rights rulings from the Department of Health and Human Services specifies that patients who require additional treatment or resources due to age or disability should not be given a lower priority to receive lifesaving care. The Office of Civil Rights of this country is in place to help enforce that all citizens of this country are entitled to the same level of care. BothSection 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973andTitle II of the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) of 1990 prohibit health care providers and institutions from discriminating against persons with disabilities in the provision of services based on their disability. This law exists because of historicalabuses and atrocitiesby thestate toward groups of society deemed unworthy. A history that may be repeating itself if Mr. Hickson's incident is, in fact, not an isolated occurrence, which many people with disabilities fear it is not.

If we are at a place in history that we can question and answer who qualifies for care and is selected by the state to die, our country is moving toward a scary future. The lasting effects of COVID-19 may include political and policy changes that emerge that support this type of practice by a provider or state, or condemn it.

Laura VanPuymbrouck, Ph.D., OTR/L, is an assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences atRush University, Chicago, in theDepartment of Occupational Therapy. Her research examines the health care and health disparities of people with disabilities.

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Provider bias in health care | TheHill - The Hill