State investigators must inspect hospitals before resolving workplace safety complaints during the coronavirus pandemic, Nevadas largest health care union formally demanded Friday.

In a two-page letter sent to the states Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Nevada chapter of Service Employees International Union outlined hazards it alleges are still ongoing at a swath of large hospitals across the state.

Among the unions allegations:

Front-line health care workers are being forced to reuse protective equipment meant for a single use. Additionally, some hospital staff were not being provided proper safety equipment.

Hospital workers who are at risk for coronavirus complications, or have at-risk family members, are being required to treat and work near coronavirus patients.

Hospital workers are being exposed to patients with coronavirus symptoms but are never informed if the patients tested positive for the virus. Those same workers were later diagnosed with the disease themselves.

Since Nevadas coronavirus outbreak began in early March, OSHA has received at least 26 complaints against the states hospitals, more than the agency typically receives in an entire year.

Earlier this week, SEIU Local 1107 criticized the state agency for not conducting on-site inspections to determine the validity of complaints. Instead, OSHA reports it is resolving them through written inquiries to protect the health and safety of its 14 investigators.

Their unwillingness to even step foot in the building that they know that we are being asked to do things that arent safe, said union board member Jody Domineck, a registered nurse at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas. I believe that is absolutely them turning their backs on us.

Local 1107 believes this manner of investigating complaints is inadequate to ensure the health and safety of our front-line health care workers as well as the community at large, labor attorney Paul Cotsonis wrote in the unions letter to OSHA.

OSHA spokeswoman Teri Williams wrote in an email that the agency had received SEIU Local 1107s letter and was reviewing the unions concerns.

Contact Michael Scott Davidson at sdavidson@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Follow @DavidsonLVRJ on Twitter.

SEIU-OSHA demand letter by Las Vegas Review-Journal on Scribd

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Nevada health care workers demand on-site OSHA hospital inspections - Las Vegas Review-Journal

MILWAUKEE New numbers in Wisconsin show medical professionals in the state make up for more than 15 percent of COVID-19 statewide.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, healthcare workers make up 16 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the state.

Of Wisconsin's 5,356 cases, 857 of those involve healthcare professionals.

Nurse practitioner Octavia Manuel-Wright knew going into nursing meant putting others first.

Manuel-Wright is the president of "Black Nurses Rock Milwaukee," a group supporting nurses and highlighting them through events and social media.

"I have a lot of nurses in-boxing me, calling and sending messages on social media saying they don't have supplies.," Manuel-Wright said.

She said many in her group are reusing personal protective equipment due to shortages.

"People are doing, literally, that they have to do," Manuel-Wright said.

Those concerns are echoed with the Wisconsin Nurses Association, which recently surveyed its members.

"I would say over 30 percent of our members responded that they don't believe they have PPE," said Gina Dennik-Champion, executive director of the Wisconsin Nurses Association.

Jeff Weber, president of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, released this statement:

"Healthcare workers are heroes, but they are not martyrs. They deserve real actions beyond parades and kind words, and the good news is that there are real solutions. Over a month ago, based on the needs and experiences of our members on the frontlines, our union sent a request to all healthcare employers and launched a petition demanding hazard pay, appropriate protective equipment, childcare, and covered medical costs for COVID-19 related exposures. We have yet to see these requests fully realized. Sadly, the statistic released today highlights the failures of our healthcare system and underscores the need for swift action on our requests. The real solutions here will not come from boardrooms. They will come from our members on the frontlines, caring for patients and living this reality. However, several employers continue to deny nurses' requests that they collect and launder scrubs at the end of a shift after being on a COVID unit. This places our members, their families, and all of us at risk if members are forced to bring their scrubs outside the walls of their hospital. There's enough money in our healthcare system to protect workers, but this 17% infection figure is a consequence of the calculated response from healthcare corporations.

Our union is proud to actively support the Healthcare Heroes legislation that would provide for many of these protections. We need policies driven by science, not supply chains. We need to support healthcare workers rather than furlough them. This is the time to do everything we can to support nurses, respiratory therapists, housekeepers, and all healthcare workers. We will continue working to protect healthcare professionals everywhere. Our members and community deserve better. We welcome the partnership of anyone who genuinely supports this goal."

Relevant links are here for the legislation and petition:Healthcare Heroes legislationPetition

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DHS: Wisconsin healthcare workers account for 16 percent of COVID-19 cases - WTMJ-TV

With vehicle lights flashing and sirens blaring, police and firefighters from at least a dozen Oakland County communities made several solidarity laps around Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield on Friday, April 24.

Ascension Providence staff stood outside, waved and snapped photos on their phones as the parade of police and fire vehicles circled the hospital several times.

The custom has become common at area hospitals, as first responders want to show their support for health care workers putting in long hours and risking their lives treating patients with COVID-19.

An Oak Park firefighter gives a thumbs up as he lines up for the solidarity laps at Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield on Friday, April 24. The custom has become common at area hospitals, as first responders want to show their support for health care workers treating patients with COVID019

Its an opportunity for first responders to show that we appreciate them, said Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren. Theyre to be commended for their sacrifice. What would this state, this city be like if they didnt come to work every day?

The Southfield area has been the hardest hit area in Oakland County for COVID-19 cases, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the county government's ZIP code map, which shows the number of cases and local infection rate.

As of Thursday, April 23, the four zip codes in the Southfield area show 1,307 cases with 131 deaths and the rate of infection between 156 to 194 cases per 10,000 residents.

Southfield and Lathrup Village have a combined population of about 85,000. Troy, which has a similar population, had 335 cases and 31 deaths as of Thursday, with almost half of each from just one of its four zip codes.

The cases in Southfield totaled 1,028 on April 13, growing by nearly 300 in 10 days.

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Solidarity: First responders show support for health care workers fighting coronavirus at Ascension Providence Hospital - The Oakland Press

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A banner reading Thank You! has been posted outside Clove Lakes Health Care and Rehabilitation Center showing appreciation for staff at the facility for their work during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

My experience with the staff (at the facility) before the pandemic was and still is awesome, said Jody Musicaro-Burkhalter, whose father is a resident of the Castleton Corners facility.

Clove Lakes has been tremendously helpful in helping my father maintain a relationship with me while in quarantine everything from phone calls to FaceTime, and always keeping me updated and informed about my fathers well-being," she said, adding that it is hard not being able to see her father during the pandemic.

The banner, which is one in a long list of thank-yous that borough residents have given to Staten Islands health-care workers, comes at a time when New York City plans to increase staff to nursing homes badly hit by the virus across New York City.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

All health-care workers are our superheroes, but we mustnt forget about the health-care workers who put their life in jeopardy every day by showing up at the facility to take care of our loved ones, Musicaro-Burkhalter said.

They are going above and beyond and are exhausted, but still put in hours and hours of work to take care of our seniors. We cannot forget to thank all of the nurses, CNAs and staff at the nursing homes.

Musicaro-Burkhalter said she is also looking forward to having her father tested for the virus, as part of a partnership between Borough Hall, Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), Staten Island nursing homes and a Long Island testing manufacturer.

I am glad to hear that the test will arrive soon to help those in need, she said.

The rest is here:

A thank you to staff at Clove Lakes Health Care and Rehabilitation Center - SILive.com

A 4-by-8-foot painted sign was installed in front of St. Luke's hospital on First Street Saturday to pay tribute to health care and other frontline workers.

Michelle Misgen, with the Duluth Art Institute, and her partner Sean Moore created the painting featuring three health care workers and the words "thank you frontline heroes." They started the project a few weeks ago with encouragement from the Greater Downtown Council and Minnesota Sixth Judicial District Judge Shaun Floerke, both involved in the Duluth Street Art Initiative.

Misgen said with art galleries closed due to the pandemic it's important for the public to have access to art through other means.

"Through public art you're able to reach more people," Misgen said. "You're bringing it out of the galleries and into the streets making it more accessible. Art has a way of bringing people together."

Artist Michelle Misgen (second from right) smiles as from left: Shaun Floerke, Sean Moore and Cole Floerke finish installing a painted sign in front of St. Luke's Saturday to thank health care workers. The back of the sign reads "Be well." (Tyler Schank / tschank@duluthnews.com)

Misgen said Duluth Street Art Initiative is also working on another project with a similar theme that involves creating 6-by-6 inch tiles that depict the various frontline services including grocery, child care, janitorial and postal workers. The final details of that project and where it will go are not yet finalized.

Floerke, who helped install the sign Saturday morning, said the initiative is about showcasing hope and encouragement. He referenced friends who work in the medical community, including one in central Minnesota who moved into a camper and is forgoing seeing her family.

"They've got a lot on their shoulders so any way we can say thank you seems like a win-win," Floerke said. "I hope they know the community is behind them and supporting them and really appreciates the work they're doing."

Kristi Stokes, president of the Greater Downtown Council, said it's one way to put a smile on people's faces.

"It's nice to showcase an artist and also do something positive," Stokes said.

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Duluth Street Art Initiative pays tribute to health care workers with sign perched in front of St. Luke's - Duluth News Tribune

MADISON (WKOW) -- Friday afternoon, Madison's hospitals saw a celebration of their efforts as the Madison Fire Department paraded by UW Health, UnityPoint Health Meriter and SSM Health.

According to the fire department, it was about appreciating the hard work doctors, nurses, technicians and everyone at these hospitals put in over the past month and a half.

For health care workers like Veronica Scott-Fulton, the gesture spoke volumes.

"People don't understand those firefighters. they're just like caregivers they're just like health care workers," she said. "We see them as they're coming through the halls with their patients."

On Friday, the SSM regional chief nursing officer saw those familiar faces in a new context.

"It was just really beautiful," Scott-Fulton said. "We welcome them. We thank them. We support them but this was such a special time for us."

She said this gesture came as hospitals are seeing a glimmer of hope.

"We have seen a huge slow down of ICU visits, ED visits," she said. "We have seen the ER rates, the COVID positive rates go down to single digits."

Scott-Fulton said that's why she not only wants to thank firefighters, but everyone in the community.

"We were overwhelmed, we were tired so those gifts really uplifted our spirits," she said.

Though she said gestures like that aren't the only way the Madison community has pitched in.

"They stayed in their homes," she said. "They followed the rules and we never really saw a strong peak like some of the other cities so we were very, very appreciative."

Scott-Fulton said she and the rest of her fellow health care workers are optimistic the worst is over and are eager to get back to serving patients the way they normally would. She said they can only do that if everyone continues to take steps to keep themselves safe and healthy.

Originally posted here:

Health care workers thank Madison Fire Department for parade and community for support - WKOW

Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer at Google LLC, speaks during the Google Cloud Next '19 event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

Michael Short | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Google is announcing the general availability of technology that, if widely adopted, could make it easier for patients to access their own health information via third-party apps.

Health care systems could warm to the technology, known as the Google Healthcare API, as new government mandates loom that will require them to make it easier for patients to see and use their health data.

However, Google's dominant business as an advertising company that uses customer data to target ads has created negative publicity and stalled some past initiatives in the health space. Google is currently the third largest cloud tech provider, behind Amazon and Microsoft.

As of Monday, health care providers can build new systems using the new Google Healthcare API to translate and convert data stored in different types of systems, from imaging systems to medical records software. Although the documentation says that the Healthcare API is meant for "storing and accessing healthcare data in Google Cloud, providing a critical bridge between existing care systems and applications hosted on Google Cloud," Google said that customers aren't required to store the data in Google Cloud.

Google's rival Microsoft Azure also has a similar health care API, which is designed to help its health care customers connect to sources, like electronic health records.

Health care companies are increasingly being forced to share health information with their patients, as well as the health apps they choose to use. The Department of Health and Human Services released a set of rulesearlier this year to prevent health care companies from so-called "information blocking." The practice, which had been going on for years, makes it challenging for people to access their own medical information at the hospital or doctor's office. Some health systems tell patients they'll have to pay for their records, or that the information would only available via a printed PDF or CD-Rom.

"Hospitals and vendors have two years to comply with new rules," noted Aneesh Chopra, the first chief technology officer of the White House and the president of Care Journey, a health analytics company, in an interview with CNBC.

"This could help them move faster, and it should increase the marketplace of applications that are physician facing, patient facing and potentially health plan facing, so individuals can get their health information that would have been locked up."

There have also been well-documented challenges for patients in sharing information between hospitals, particularly those that rely on different medical record vendors. Google Cloud, in a blog post written by Joe Corkery, a doctor and its director of product, and Aashima Gupta, its director of health solutions, notes that it can be a "Herculean effort" for health systems to access a unified view of data from various sources.

Google Cloud's health care leaders note that the Covid-19 pandemic shows again why health data interoperability is important. It can help support the kinds of efforts that are already underway, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new app that aims to share information from electronic health records with public health departments. That app will launch in May.

"Covid-19 is really bringing the entire (health data) interoperability conversation to the forefront," said Gupta, via a virtual call. "It's becoming really crucial from a patient standpoint."

"People are now recognizing that there's only way to get though this period and that is to collaborate," added John Halamka, president of Mayo Clinic Platform. Mayo Clinic is a major cloud customer for Google, which has a team of people working nearby out of Rochester, Minnesota. "What's important is that this API is a toolset provided by Google that makes it easier for the doctors and the hospitals to share data. But it's not about sending the data to Google."

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Google unveils tech to make it easier for doctors and patients to share health info - CNBC

Hospitals in most states have plenty of capacity, aside from those in hardest-hit areas like New York and Louisiana, according to an analysis from Raymond James. But it's unclear whether states can regularly test front-line health workers for the virus. And there are major questions about the accuracy and availability of antibody tests to gauge past exposure that are an essential part of the Trump administrations plan for states to emerge.

Ali Mokdad, a health metrics expert at the University of Washington whose modeling has informed the White House and governors, said the focus on hospital capacity is misguided, particularly if a state allows retail businesses such as hair salons and tattoo parlors to reopen.

If we allow this virus to circulate, then you have to face the same wave again and shut down, he said. How can you have social distancing with someone cutting my hair? If you want to open something, fine, but do it strategically.

States like Illinois, New Jersey and Alabama aren't using excess hospital capacity as a green light to start returning to normal. Governors in those places want to keep restrictions in place long enough to amass enough testing to track the virus if a second wave occurs in the fall.

What you want to do is make sure that the number of people who get sick is kept down, said Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. And so thats really the purpose of a stay-at-home order.

Tom Frieden, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that if he were a governor, he would want to be sure his state had enough testing available to know if cases started to spike again. No state can now say it does.

If I dont have all the testing that Id like to have, which Im sure I dont, I [would want to] have enough testing to quickly investigate any clusters that could explode, he said. And Id really like to have a public health workforce that is able to track cases.

The debate over when it's safe to reopen a state flared up this week when President Donald Trump criticized Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp for moving too fast with a plan that had businesses such as bowling alleys, gyms, hair salons and tattoo parlors opening Friday if owners adhere to stringent social distancing and hygiene requirements. Movie theaters and restaurants are supposed to follow next week.

Kemp, before Trumps rebuke, said his decision was, in part, based on his feeling that hospitals could handle a potential surge in cases that might occur.

Weve just got to be comfortable we can handle that demand, he said.

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) told POLITICO that hospital capacity had to be one of the primary signals for opening her states economy, where 20 percent of people are now out of work.

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Hospitals health is key driver of push to lift lockdowns - POLITICO

Frontline health care workers to receive daily allowance - Video - NEWS 1130 Rogers Media uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Learn more or change your cookie preferences. Rogers Media supports the Digital Advertising Alliance principles. By continuing to use our service, you agree to our use of cookies.We use cookies (why?) You can change cookie preferences. Continued site use signifies consent.

Health science professionals on the front lines of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia will be paid a daily allowance on top of their regular pay.

Apr 25, 2020, 6:38 PM

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Frontline health care workers to receive daily allowance - CityNews Vancouver

In the era of the gig economy, our outdated health insurance system is too inflexible to meet the needs of millions of Americans. In short, our health care system is broken. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this huge problem: We must expandassociation health plans.

Nearly one in four Americans receive health insurance through the individual market, not from their employer. For one reason or another, we stubbornly adhere to a system that categorizes health insurance as an employee benefit when over the span of an individuals working career, he or she typically holdsmore than 12 jobs. This alone shows why itmakes little sense that our most vital lifeline, health care insurance, is provided by our constantly changing employer.

It is incredible to witness how dynamic our economy has become, especially when compared to just a few decades ago, when factories employed millions performing monotonous tasks on assembly lines. Currently, the U.S. economy is moving at warp speed to a flexible environment for employees based on tele-work, contract positions and a plethora of gig jobs. From ridesharing to selling and promoting online, the nature of the American workforce is vastly different than that of our parents and grandparents. If our health insurance market wants to keep pace, it needs to reflect these fundamental changes in the workplace.

Since the passage of ObamaCare 10 years ago, states have experienced a mass exodus of insurers in the individual market due to rising costs. This has left millions with very few options in the individual market. Also, as a devastating result of this legislation,nearly 27 million Americans are left with no health insurancebecause they cant afford it. Making matters even worse, since the passage of ObamaCare, premiums and deductibles have skyrocketed despite assurances from President Obama that the opposite would take place.

In America, we can do better. We live in the most technologically advanced society in the history of the world, and yet we have millions who have very limited options for health insurance.

In every other industry, we have seen markets adapt to meet the ever-evolving needs of the consumer. From Starbucks to the iPhone, we have seen the private sector excel, while federal regulations have lagged behind, holding back innovation and limiting options for the consumer in the most crucial aspect of our lives: Health care insurance.

The goal of any market, and specifically health insurance, should be to provide consumers with as many options as possible, spanning the full spectrum of consumer needs and desires.

In America, we have a variety of options in terms of grocery stores, clothing stores, car insurance and just about every other service imaginable. Why do we not have the same plethora of choices when it comes to our health insurance?

The first step is to abandon the employer-based model. It doesnt make logical sense that a family must undergo health insurance changes 12 times on average throughout their lifetime just because they switch employers, does it? Of course not.

Good news: The expansion of association health plans is the easy answer to this problem.

Expanding association health plans would create a world where the YMCA, Costco and AAA, for example, could sell health insurance plans and negotiate for a better rate on your behalf. A large group of people who are members of a club, organization or wholesale store would have better luck negotiating with a large insurance company than a small business does, thus resulting in lower prices for all.

This would provide multiple options at affordable prices for all Americans, even those with pre-existing conditions. As millions are currently filing for unemployment because of the public safety measures taken for COVID-19, it is crucial that we start questioning our hopelessly antiquated health insurance system. Does it really make sense that we continue to put our health care in the hands of our employer when layoffs, or job changes, mean that your health insurance plan must change too?

The fact that a large percentage of the workforce is either uninsured or paying too much is an issue that isnt going away. It is time to address the elephant in the room and expand quality coverage at affordable prices.

Living in the most advanced society in the history of the world, it is vital that our health insurance system reflects our significant technological advancements. Why in the world do we prevent our health insurance system from benefiting from the life-altering innovations that the American economy has unleashed in recent decades?

The federal government needs to move quickly and tear away the red tape that is overwhelming our health care system. The federal government is the entity that linked employers to health insurance (as an incentive to employers during WWII price controls); therefore, it is the federal government that also must right this wrong.

ChristinaHerrinis the director of Free to Choose Medicine, a project of The Heartland Institute, a non-partisan, free-market think tank headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill.

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We need to rethink employer-provided health insurance | TheHill - The Hill

Story

Responding to concerns that healthcare works were having to choose between continuing to work and keeping their families and loved ones safe, Executive Constantine and Council Chair Claudia Balducci announced today that King County will provide no-cost rooms at Hotel 116 at 625 116th Ave NE, Bellevue.

The hotel is located near Kaiser Permanente Bellevue Medical Center and Overlake Medical Center & Clinics.

King County is partnering with Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, and UFCW 21 to inform their members about this resource. The work to secure these hotel rooms began after discussions with these three unions about the needs of their members, who face very real fears of carrying COVID-19 home to family members with underlying health conditions, who are pregnant, or who are in the over 65 age group that is more susceptible to this virus.

The block of 80 rooms will be exclusively available to health workers. King County is paying $89 per night. The rooms are set to be available through June.

Healthcare workers on the front lines of our crisis response shouldn't have to put their families and loved ones at risk for doing their jobs. I am gratified to have the opportunity to work with healthcare unions to offer housing for caregivers during this public health emergency, so they can remain safe and care for our community, said Executive Constantine.

King County is also working to finalize hotel space for its employees who are serving as first responders and in front line positions, and will be announcing details on these soon.

Healthcare workers on the front lines of our crisis response shouldn't have to put their families and loved ones at risk for doing their jobs. I am gratified to have the opportunity to work with healthcare unions to offer housing for caregivers during this public health emergency, so they can remain safe and care for our community.

Doctors and nurses are working day and night, at the very front lines of the battle against coronavirus. Even as we start to see some slowing in the rates of infection, they need our support to keep going. Providing a place to rest between shifts is one small way we can help and say thank you for their work and sacrifice. I hope this resource will help keep our health care professionals safe and healthy as they work on our behalf.

From the first COVID-19 cases in Washington state arrived in our hospitals, WSNA members have expressed concerns about the safety of their loved ones at home. These free hotel rooms offer health care workers an important option to protect their loved ones, especially those who live with family members in vulnerable categories. We appreciate Executive Dow Constantines and Council Chair Claudia Balduccis openness to working with us to arrive at this important solution to our members concerns.

Working through a pandemic without adequate protective equipment carries risk not just for a health care worker, but for their entire household as well. Health care workers in King County and across the world have faced heartbreaking decisions between caring for patients on the front lines and keeping their own families safe. Some have moved into temporary housing or isolated from family in order to protect loved ones from their high level of COVID-19 exposure. We are incredibly grateful to Executive Constantine, Council Chair Claudia Balducci, and King County for opening up this welcome new resource for caregivers so they dont have to sacrifice their familys safety in order to provide quality care for our community.

The nurses and healthcare workers of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW selflessly put our patients first every day, but we all worry about exposing our own loved ones to COVID-19 at the end of our shifts. Its a very serious concern, and the ongoing lack of adequate protective personal protective equipment only makes it worse. That is why providing free hotel accommodations to healthcare workers is a necessary step toward granting us some peace of mind so we can focus all our energy on fighting the novel coronavirus and serving our communities. We extend our gratitude to Executive Constantine Dow Constantine and Council Chair Claudia Balducci for their leadership during the crisis and for answering the call to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of frontline workers and our families.

Chase Gallagher, Executive Office, 206-263-8537

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King County to offer hotel rooms to healthcare workers impacted by COVID-19 - King County

One of them was Dr. Chris Firlit, a 37-year-old husband and father of three. Firlit was a member of the Wayne State University's class of 2018, and lived in Berkley.

Firlit was a senior resident in the oral maxillofacial surgery program at Ascension Macomb Hospital. Wayne State announced his death Tuesday and said he had died this week, but did not provide the exact date.

Firlit received a bachelors degree from Wake Forest University and earned his doctor of dental surgery degree from Nova Southern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, before joining the WSU School of Medicine.

"It grieves me greatly to inform you that a recent graduate of our school of medicine has died, presumptively due to complications of COVID-19," Dr. Jack Sobel, dean of the medical school, said in announcing the death.

"Dr. Firlits death obviously hits very close to home. His dedication to assisting patients during this pandemic drives home the seriousness of this virus, and is emblematic of the fortitude and commitment of the physicians we train," Sobel said.

Sobel urged faculty, medical students, residents and alumni to "do everything possible to keep safe while you practice your dedication to the science of medicine and patients."

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Ascension doctor becomes 7th Michigan health care worker to die of coronavirus - Bridge Michigan

ConsueloLpez-Morillas, a professor emerita at Indiana University, Bloomington, started a petition asking lawmakers to cancel student loan debt for doctors, nurses and health care professionals who are responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 385,000 people have signed on since it launchedlast week.

"Health professionals carry crushing loads of student debt, from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now they are like soldiers in war, saving lives while risking their own and protecting the rest of us, and many have already died while doing their duty," Lopez-Morillas wrotein the petition. "Without the debt burden more would work in lower-paying specialties like family practice, or in underserved rural and urban areas. Society would benefit both in health and economically for many years to come, just as America benefited from the GI Bill."

Today, Carolyn Maloney, a congresswoman from New York, said she will introduce legislation to do just that. The so-called Student Debt Forgiveness for Frontline Health Care Workers Act would eliminate graduate school debt for health care workers who are providing care in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It would include recent graduates and professionals who are still paying off their loans.

Medical professionals in hospitals and other medical settings are operating in extraordinarily difficult and dangerous circumstances to provide care for critically ill COVID-19 patients and protect our communities. New York City has been hit particularly hard in the pandemic, and many other areas of the country are beginning to experience surges in patients with COVID-19 symptoms, putting great stress on health care institutions and their employees. The least we can do to recognize their service is to forgive their graduate student loan debt so that they are not forced to worry about their financial wellbeing in addition to their health and the health of their families while they respond to a public health emergency," Maloney said in a news release.

Original post:

Movement to Forgive Health Care Workers' Student Debt - Inside Higher Ed

As the coronavirus pandemic began spreading across Europe earlier this year, the number of calls to Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen quickly ramped up.

The organization, which provides emergency care for about one-third of Denmarks population, saw calls to its emergency lines almost double after the outbreak began, with around 2,000 calls coming in daily by early March from worried people who were showing symptoms of COVID-19 or had questions about the disease.

The organization opened a second call center to handle the inquiries, but that wasnt enough.

We realized that many people had the same general questions, says CEO and medical doctor Freddy Lippert. A virtual assistant seemed like a great option to decrease the load on the workforce. Not only can it handle much more volume than the call center, it can run a symptom checker and identify high-risk patients according to medical protocols in the same way medical staff would, directing those in need to a warm handover with a human.

Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen is now among health care organizations in Europe and beyond using Microsofts Healthcare Bot service to help screen people for potential coronavirus infection and treatment. Powered by Microsoft Azure, the service uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing technology to help organizations create their own bots in which the data is owned and solely accessible by the organization to respond to inquiries and free up doctors, nurses and other health care professionals so they can provide critical care to patients who need it.

Microsofts Healthcare Bot service has been used by health care organizations for more than a year and was originally designed to support common virtual health assistant scenarios. But as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, threatening to overwhelm health care systems worldwide, organizations in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East have been using the tool to help screen patients for potential COVID-19 infection.

Since March, health organizations have created 1,230 COVID-19 self-assessment bots based on the Microsoft Healthcare bot service, reaching 18 million individuals and serving more than 160 million messages.

The coronavirus pandemic is putting unprecedented demands on health care systems and workers globally, says Hadas Bitran, group manager of Microsoft Healthcare and head of the Healthcare Bot team.

Bots can help alleviate some of that pressure by addressing queries from patients and helping them with information about possible next steps if they have symptoms of COVID-19.

Using the Microsoft Healthcare Bot service, Emergency Medical Service Copenhagen created and launched its COVID-19 bot in mid-March in less than two days. The bot answered 30,000 calls the first day, Lippert says, lowering the number of inquiries to Denmarks emergency number and reducing demand on healthcare workers.

It was a great service for those who used the bot and it allows us to focus on patients that really need help, Lippert says. We saw the immediate effect.

The bot was considered so successful that it was quickly rolled out nationwide. Stephanie Lose, president of the Danish Regions, says the tool will help relieve the burden on emergency lines throughout the country and ensure callers in most need of help can be assisted sooner.

I am proud that, at a critical time during the COVID-19 epidemic, we have succeeded in scaling a solution from one region to the whole country, she says.

Italy, which was among the countries hit earliest and hardest by the pandemic, has also set up its own COVID-19 bot. Romes Spallanzani Hospital, which treated Europes first two confirmed coronavirus cases in late January, used Microsofts solution to develop a bot in a few hours, with the goal of helping meet requests for information that quickly swelled as the number of cases grew.

Gabriele Rinonapoli, the hospitals IT manager, says while the country remains focused on dealing with an extreme health crisis, the bot will likely be used more in future months to help manage treatment for patients with chronic conditions.

The bot can make it easier for citizens to access information, he says. The standardization of information is critical for emergency management, to limit unnecessary access to health care facilities and reduce the workload of public relations offices. Moreover, the analysis of questionnaire replies could create an interesting database to develop new studies.

Rinonapoli sees potential for bots to be used broadly by health care organizations to collect data that can help to better understand diseases and develop proactive health measures.

If all health care organizations were provided with these tools, it would be easier to gather real-time, real-world data, he says.

Helsinki University Hospital in Finland used the Healthcare Bot to create its Coronabot, which asks users questions about symptoms, potential exposure and interactions with people who have the coronavirus and provides information on seeking treatment. Additionally, it offers information on managing anxiety as well as exercises and content created by mental health professionals at the hospital.

In a country of about 5.5 million people, the Coronabot, launched March 16, had logged more than 73,000 visitors and 1.5 million messages by early April, allowing health care workers to focus on sick patients and prepare for a possible uptick in infections if the level of testing increases in Finland.

In these unprecedented times, its so important to provide the right information and to disseminate it openly and publicly, says Visa Honkanen, director of development at Helsinki University Hospital. We are lucky that we live in a culture where misinformation has a difficult stand. The bot really played an important role in educating the public.

The hospital is now exploring additional scenarios in which the bot might be used for example, to proactively communicate with patients about scheduled treatments or provide information about procedures.

This is freeing resources for the team to focus on the (coronavirus) crisis, Honkanen says.

Microsofts solution is also being used at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israels largest acute care facility, which created its COVID-19 bot named Corey in less than a day. The bot received thousands of inquiries on its first day of operation in late March and has so far served more than 30,000 people and handled some 412,000 messages.

We were able to reduce the load on the health care system and ensure that caregivers have more time to treat patients, says Ronni Gamzu, the centers CEO.

Other organizations should know that it does not take a tech expert to deploy the bot. It is very easy, fast and intuitive.

Microsoft is working with health care organizations around the globe to deploy their own versions of the Healthcare Bot and is committed to helping health systems respond to the pandemic.

Were grateful to be able to help health care organizations quickly offer their communities and patients a COVID-19 self-assessment bot based on the Microsoft Healthcare Bot service, Bitran says. As a technology company, its critical for us to provide solutions that can help patients and clinical teams in the fight against this global health crisis.

Top photo: Workers at Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen. Photo by Akutberedskabet. Photo of Freddy Lippert by Rune Evensen. Photos of Visa Honkanen and Helsinki University Hospital courtesy of HUS. Photo of Spallanzani Hospital courtesy of the hospital.

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How international health care organizations are using bots to help fight COVID-19 | - Microsoft

Anderson Aid is a new donation-based program that provides meals to medical professionals in the Anderson area. A group of downtown restaurants have all agreed to take turns collecting donations from the Anderson community and using those donations to cook and package meals to be delivered to health care workers each Friday as they battle the coronavirus at local hospitals."The community can come and donate money, the restaurants can prepare food with the donated money and generate a little bit of business for them and their staff, and then the doctors and nurses medical staff at AnMed can have a really nice lunch from one of their favorite restaurants," said co-founder of Anderson Aid Sarah Dowler. Last week was the programs first delivery. The Local Uptown was the restaurant charged with the task. Five-hundred dollars was raised and over 50 meals were delivered. This week, Maki Sushi Bar and Bistro collected donations, and Anderson Aid quadrupled their contributions and raised $2000; paying for 175 meals for AnMed employees. "People just started jumping on board. Coming by dropping off money, Venmoing money, donating on Facebook. It just blew up," said Maki Sushi Bar and Bistro owner Dana Apozaga. "Its a great feeling. To do something for those people putting everything on the line. This is just something small that we can do to let them know that we appreciate them."Next week, Summa Joe's Searing Pans is the featured local restaurant and will be collecting donations and preparing meals Friday. If you would like to learn more about Anderson Aid or make a donation to help feed Anderson area healthcare workers, search for the Anderson Aid Facebook page.

Anderson Aid is a new donation-based program that provides meals to medical professionals in the Anderson area. A group of downtown restaurants have all agreed to take turns collecting donations from the Anderson community and using those donations to cook and package meals to be delivered to health care workers each Friday as they battle the coronavirus at local hospitals.

"The community can come and donate money, the restaurants can prepare food with the donated money and generate a little bit of business for them and their staff, and then the doctors and nurses medical staff at AnMed can have a really nice lunch from one of their favorite restaurants," said co-founder of Anderson Aid Sarah Dowler.

Last week was the programs first delivery. The Local Uptown was the restaurant charged with the task. Five-hundred dollars was raised and over 50 meals were delivered.

This week, Maki Sushi Bar and Bistro collected donations, and Anderson Aid quadrupled their contributions and raised $2000; paying for 175 meals for AnMed employees.

"People just started jumping on board. Coming by dropping off money, Venmoing money, donating on Facebook. It just blew up," said Maki Sushi Bar and Bistro owner Dana Apozaga. "Its a great feeling. To do something for those people putting everything on the line. This is just something small that we can do to let them know that we appreciate them."

Next week, Summa Joe's Searing Pans is the featured local restaurant and will be collecting donations and preparing meals Friday.

If you would like to learn more about Anderson Aid or make a donation to help feed Anderson area healthcare workers, search for the Anderson Aid Facebook page.

Excerpt from:

Downtown Anderson restaurants give back to health care workers - WYFF4 Greenville

CAMBRIDGE, Md. Throughout this pandemic, weve seen businesses step up to help health care workers who are on the frontline of this battle against COVID-19, and Friday in Cambridge we saw yet another example of that.

Doctors and nurses in Cambridge were gifted with free gas thanks to three businesses paying it forward.

I know they are a couple of generous small business people came together and we said hey we definitely have a backbone here we can definitely support those in need, Hunter Fooks, owner of Johnnys Tavern, said.

Johnnys Tavern came up with the idea to donate gas to health care workers, Preston Automotive Group and Pep-up Inc. chipped in.

We decided to participate, we told them we would match their donation, their contribution of 600, so in total we gave out 1200 gallons of fuel today, Martin Pepper, Vice President of Pep Up Inc., said.

Those involved said its their way of showing appreciation for those working on the frontlines.

Its important that even in the hardest times that we still support our community members and were there for them and they know that we are there for them, Nicole Gonzon, Executive Assistant for Preston Automotive Group, said.

And that appreciation was given right back.

The guests that came through they were so kind and so grateful for what we were doing, Gonzon said.

While the event was a success, Johnnys Tavern hopes that others will jump on the bandwagon.

Its about paying it forward, so Im hoping someone will take initiative to continue this effort, Fooks said.

We are told that the event came together under 24 hours and started at 10 a.m.

Original post:

Three businesses giving gas to health care workers in Cambridge - 47abc - WMDT

Aston Martin steps up.

The coronavirus has turned world automakers into scrappy entities, and as they quickly pivot, we're seeing some seriously wonderful engineering at work. As the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in numerous nations, Aston Martin is the latest to toss its hat into the ring to help.

Keep track of the coronavirus pandemic.

The British carmaker said on Friday it not only has face shields and protective gowns nearly ready for mass production, but it's designing a new piece of protective equipment for health care workers.

Aston Martin cited a need from health care workers for a new kind of protective piece specifically for use with patients going on ventilators. When a health care professional needs to put a patient diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease the novel coronavirus causes, on a ventilator, there's a great risk of respiratory droplets to enter the air during the intubation and extubation process. So, Aston Martin and its partner Multimatic are working to create a new box-shaped shield to protect the health care worker during this process.

The shield will be a compact, one-piece design that Aston Martin said will let health care workers even stack them in ICU wards so they won't take up a tremendous amount of space. All the while, the box shield will still provide all the access health care workers need to work with patients on ventilators and goes over a patient's upper body.

The new design is now in a trial period with local hospitals in the UK. The company also submitted a gown design to the National Health Service for approval and Aston Martin believes it could create 750 gowns per week. As for face shields, the first batch of 150 will reach hospitals next week.

Now playing: Watch this: Aston Martin V12 Speedster proves less is more, and costs...

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Aston Martin designing new protection for health care workers - CNET

Coronavirus is continuing to take a devastating toll on healthcare workers across the state, according to new data.

More than 1,600 healthcare workers have become infected, a number of them through sources outside work, and officials say they are alarmed at the pace.

With coronavirus moving rapidly within the community, healthcare workers now appear just as likely, if not more so, to become infected by COVID-19 outside the workplace, the California Department of Public Health said in a statement.

Healthcare workers are essential in caring for the growing number of sick people. But the state said those who did get infected needed to be isolated immediately.

Here are the latest statistics:

299 people have acquired COVID-19 in a healthcare setting

462 have been exposed via travel, close contacts or community transmission

890 have been infected but their specific exposure source has not been reported

California has not seen the death toll of virus hot spots such as New York, where more than 4,000 people have died. And while the virus continues to spread rapidly in some places, including Los Angeles County, there are signs that its rate of growth could be slowing in parts of the Bay Area.

So far, hospitals have not been overwhelmed by patients.

But the toll has been grim at nursing homes and other institutional facilities, where both workers and residents have become ill.

In a bid to stem the virus spread, Kaiser Permanente announced Thursday that it would temporarily close numerous medical offices and clinics throughout Southern California.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a call for healthcare workers to join the state in caring for an expected surge of COVID-19 patients.

Newsom said he believed the state could add 37,000 healthcare workers by asking recently retired providers, those in the process of getting a medical license in the state and students enrolled in medical or nursing schools to apply to the newly created California Health Corps.

As healthcare workers face greater risk, they are also gaining more support and appreciation in the community.

San Diegos Little Italy has made showing its appreciation a nightly ritual.

At 7:59 p.m. on a recent night, the neighborhood was eerily quiet, save for the gentle drumming of a light rainfall. Then, at the stroke of 8, it began. Whoops, clanging cowbells, loud music, bursts of firecrackers, whistles, gongs and singing poured from balconies and apartment windows. By 8:02 p.m., it was over.

Every night for the last week or so, San Diego residents have begun embracing an evening ritual that started in Europe in mid-March, then spread to the U.S. a week later. Originally launched in northern Italy to thank the exhausted healthcare workers tending to COVID-19 patients, the evening cheers have taken on added significance for local celebrants.

Sean Murray, who lives on the 21st floor of an apartment building in downtown San Diego, said he and his husband, Bill Schmidt, looked forward all day to the brief, cacophonous celebrations, which are accompanied by flashing lights in the apartment buildings that surround them.

It reminds me of the book Horton Hears a Who! said Murray, who co-founded Cygnet Theatre with Schmidt in 2003. In the 1954 childrens book by Dr. Seuss, a tiny city of people living inside a dust speck desperately seek contact with the outside world by shouting the words We are here! over and over.

It started when people were thanking first responders, Murray said. People are able to go out and cheer because these people are out there saving our lives. Its profoundly amazing.

Times staff writers Money and Fry reported from Los Angeles. Kragen writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Coronavirus effects on California healthcare workers - Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON The full Maryland congressional delegation announced Friday the award of nearly $750 million for Maryland hospitals and health care providers through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund.

Created through the CARES Act, this program was designed to enable health care providers to cover the costs of responding to COVID-19.

Marylands hospitals and health care providers are taking extraordinary steps to protect public health and save lives, the delegation said. Cost constraints and the need to operate within existing funding structures must not inhibit their ability to respond effectively. Future distributions from this emergency fund must be allocated in a transparent manner, ensuring that all of Marylands hospitals have the resources they need, including those in emerging hotspots such as the Baltimore-Washington Corridor, and should recognize the essential role of other health care providers who treat vulnerable and low-income populations.

Roughly $400 million will be allocated to hospitals and $342 million to outpatient health care providers.

These awards represent Marylands share of the initial $30 billion awarded nationwide Friday.

CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Congress allocated a total of $100 billion for the program, the remainder of which will be disbursed at a later date.

Through the CARES Act, Maryland has also received $15.6 million for community health centers announced Wednesday and $48 million to Maryland local governments announced by the delegation last week.

Separately, the delegation has announced a total of $17.1 million in CDC funding through the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act to support the Maryland health system.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to theMaryland Health Departments websiteor call 211. You can find all of WJZs coverage oncoronavirus in Maryland here.

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Lawmakers Announce Nearly $750M Award For Hospital And Healthcare Providers In Maryland - CBS Baltimore

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - A newly formed Facebook group is hoping to show appreciation to local health care workers, while also supporting locally owned restaurants.

Feed the Front Line Marquette County is raising money, with a goal of feeding health care workers during this challenging time. Lunches are being delivered to different agencies when workers are on the job.

Less than a week ago, a GoFundMe was started to raise money for the effort. As of today, they are less than $200 away from reaching their fundraising goal.

I feel like our community is awesome, its unlike the bigger cities I've lived in, where its smaller enough where we support each other, and I just like its best to keep everybodies morale up and have people see that were supporting each other during out times of crisis, said Rachel Bannan-Hutter, Organizer of Feed the Front Lines - Marquette County.

To make a donation to the effort, click here.

Link:

Feed the Front Line is showing support to health care workers and small business owners - UpperMichigansSource.com