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The Alzheimer's Association is releasing important guidance urging policymakers to implement new policy solutions to address the dramatic and evolving issues affecting nursing homes and assisted living communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more from the Alzheimer’s Association: Improving the State Federal Response to COIVD-19 in Long-Term Care Settings.

In addition, the Alzheimer’s Association called on the federal government to show greater urgency to protect the health and safety of residents living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care settings. Read more about the association’s rapid point-of-care testing solution.

The Alzheimer’s Association has new resources available highlighting the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals living with Alzheimer's and other dementias. These materials rely on data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that show that deaths due to Alzheimer's and dementia are significantly higher than average:

• Background Information: Describes how the statistics are calculated and provides possible explanations for the elevated number of dementia deaths.
• State-by-State Table: Provides number and percent or dementia deaths above average by state in table format.
• Map: Visualizes the percent of dementia deaths above average by state.

New Reports of Impact of COVID-19 on Long-Term Care Staff: Across the country, nursing homes are seeing dangerous testing lags or are not utilizing point-of-care tests, hindering efforts to prevent spread of the coronavirus. Recent news coverage highlight the current impact of community spread on long-term care communities:

• (AP) Nursing home COVID-19 cases rise four-fold in surge states
• (Kaiser) Nursing Homes Still See Dangerously Long Waits for COVID Test Results
• (Kaiser) Long-Term Care Workers, Grieving and Under Siege, Brace for COVID’s Next Round

Long-term care facilities account for about 1% of the U.S. population, but represent 40% of COVID-19 deaths. It remains critical that state governments adopt and implement the Alzheimer’s Association’s Long-Term Care Policy Recommendations including prioritizing rapid testing, PPE and strike teams to not disrupt care to people with dementia.

The Alzheimer's Association is working with policymakers to identify and implement new policy solutions that address the immediate and long-term issues impacting care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alzheimer’s Association is encouraged by recent CMS and CDC efforts to enable visitation, reuniting residents with their families and reducing the harmful impact social isolation has had on these individuals. As more families move toward this important milestone, the Alzheimer’s Association recommends families and long-term care settings remain diligent in following proven COVID-19 protocols. For people living with dementia who are at greater risk for contracting COVID-19, it is especially important to continue to take extra precaution to protect these individuals.

Unfortunately, the impact of the pandemic has continued to magnify the crisis in long-term care. Please consider checking out this NBC News piece - America now knows that nursing homes are broken. Does anyone care enough to fix them?

Using electronic health record data from 61.9 million American adults, researchers at Case Western University found the risk of contracting COVID-19 was twice as high for people in the study with dementia than for those without it—while among those in the study with dementia, Blacks had close to three times the risk of being infected with COVID-19 as did whites. The findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association on Feb. 9. The New York Times coverage - People With Dementia Are Twice as Likely to Get Covid, Huge Study Finds.

Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian adults expect and experience more barriers when accessing dementia care, according to two new national surveys released recently as part of the Alzheimer’s Association 2021 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures.

This year’s special report—Race, Ethnicity and Alzheimer’s—examines perspectives and experiences of Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native and White Americans with regard to Alzheimer’s and dementia care. The special report also finds that half or more of Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian American caregivers say they have experienced discrimination when navigating health care settings for their care recipient. Read the full report at alz.org/facts.

The Healthy Brain Initiative’s Road Map series includes promotion of health equity as a guiding principle to accelerate progress against dementia across all communities. This includes addressing disparities such as those mentioned above, rebuilding trust among populations that have experienced structural and systemic injustices (including among Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans), and embracing the unique strengths of communities to advance health and well-being.

2021 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures also examines the impact COVID-19 is having on people living with Alzheimer’s. According to the report, there were at least 42,000 more deaths from Alzheimer’s and other dementias in 2020 compared with the previous five-year average—a 16% increase. Learn more at alz.org/publichealth-covid19.

In addition to the special report on race and ethnicity as well as COVID-19 data, 2021 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures provides the latest national and state-specific statistics on Alzheimer’s prevalence, incidence, mortality, cost of care, and caregiving. Updated state-specific fact sheets are available for each state and the District of Columbia. Download the full report, find infographics, and other quick facts at alz.org/facts.

Amazon's Dave Clark, senior vice president of Worldwide Operations, made an announcement on the enhanced safety measures Amazon is taking in its operations network and Whole Foods stores. Additionally, Amazon has hired over 80,000 people out of the additional 100,000 positions that opened up on March 16 to continue to serve its customers. Read the announcement.

Public-private partnerships are essential to overcoming the COVID-19 crisis. From the beginning, health insurance providers have been working with federal, state, and community leaders to ensure there are no barriers to testing, treatment and vaccines. That includes supporting our frontline health care heroes. Supporting families, communities, and businesses. Covering COVID services at no cost to patients. Expanding access through telehealth. And offering COVID-19 vaccines at no cost to the patient. With the Vaccine Community Connectors pilot initiative, health insurance providers are vaccinating 2 million seniors in communities that are most at-risk and underserved. Together, we will overcome the COVID-19 crisis.

Read more about the America's Health Insurance Plans' COVID-19 related resources:

• Health Insurance Prviders Respond to COVID-19  
• Responding to socioeconomic needs.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) made an announcement concerning efforts by the banking industry to help people who are unbanked or underbanked. ABA is calling on all banks to offer Certified BankOn Accounts at every bank. BankOn accounts were developed by the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) and include key protections for customers including a prohibition on overdraft fees and access to bank branches as well as the full slate of online and mobile services and debit-card access. ABA is working with bank-technology partners to ensure that all banks can offer these accounts.   

The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) Safe Stay® is an industry-wide initiative focused on enhanced hotel cleaning practices, social interactions and workplace protocols to meet the new health and safety challenges and expectations presented by COVID-19. Support for the Safe Stay initiative continues to grow with endorsements coming from leading scientists, physicians and public health experts in epidemiology and infectious disease.

The American Heart Association is working with researchers, medical experts, hospitals, policymakers, community leaders, businesses, families and more to reduce the impact of the coronavirus. This includes investing in research to investigate the cardiovascular implications of coronavirus, providing funding and supporting the Ad Council’s nationwide coronavirus vaccine campaign aimed at encouraging Americans to get vaccinated, making our COVID-19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry available to all hospitals and health systems across the U.S. at no charge, and advocating for policies that ensure families, communities and local officials are equipped to handle the pandemic and promote good health.

For science-based information and answers, visit https://www.heart.org/coronavirus and https://www.heart.org/vaccine.

A team of researchers from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) has developed a COVID-19 resource page. 

AIR also launched a national survey on public education’s response to COVID-19 that has several new briefs and materials.

The American Optometric Association (AOA) quickly mobilized its public awareness, advocacy and clinical resources in support of its members and their practices in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. AOA launched a guide on ER Cost Saving during COVID-19.

This resource is designed to actively provide the latest information and guidance to doctors, deliver critical practice support, and offer advocacy updates as AOA works to ensure optometry's full recognition in federal crisis relief and the recovery that will follow. AOA's priority is to support the health and safety of the public and the optometric community, and the association will continue to assess the situation and update recommendations accordingly.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) published a status report on COVID-19’s Impacts on America’s Infrastructure, complete with an overview of 12 infrastructure sectors and the effects the pandemic has had on revenue streams. The 2017 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure gave our critical systems a “D-plus” and found that many of our networks, including roads, bridges, water systems and more, are past their intended design life and in need of modernization. COVID-19 has exacerbated existing challenges. Fortunately, economic recovery from the pandemic presents a unique opportunity to reinvest in our infrastructure and rebuild America’s economy. The ASCE status report offers legislative solutions for lawmakers looking to jump-start the economy and keep America competitive for the decades to come.

As AT&T responds to COVID-19, the health and safety of its employees and customers remain its top priority. AT&T's work is critical to millions of people and companies around the world, and its employees are committed to being there when customers and colleagues need them the most. In times like these, people everywhere are seeking to stay connected to those they care about as well as to news, information, education and even entertainment. Keeping its customers connected is a top priority for AT&T—it is what the company has always done and what it will always do. Please visit AT&T's COVID-19 Response Page for the latest information on how the company is assisting its customers and communities during the pandemic.

BIO represents the major global biopharmaceutical companies involved in developing vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. BIO created a website called COVID Vaccine Facts.org as part of our effort to educate the public and policymakers about COVID vaccine development, as well as answer questions about vaccine safety. The content on this website serves as an educational tool to link people to third-party scientific and evidenced-based information related to the vaccine development process, along with the safety, efficacy, availability, and affordability of Covid-19 vaccines.

As the health care partner to one in three Americans, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies continue to work hard to ensure our members can get the care they need. Very early on, BCBS companies committed to cover COVID-19 diagnostic testing and treatment, as well as expanded telehealth and made prescription refills easier to obtain. To date, BCBS companies have collectively committed more than $7 billion to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes financial support for members, medical professionals and practices, and communities. BCBSA recently created a pilot program along with Americas Health Insurance Plans to ensure that the most vulnerable seniors have access to vaccines. Here are examples of how the 35, independent and locally operated plans are at work in the communities they serve.

• BCBSA Recommendations to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic
• BCBSA Principles: COVID-19 Vaccine – Supporting a Safe, Effective and Affordable Vaccine

In addition, Blue Cross Blue Shield made an announcement on waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment. BlueCross BlueShield is committed to supporting its members, communities and health care workers in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak. As a system of 36 independent, locally operated companies, it is uniquely positioned to provide critical relief to each of the communities it serves, as is has for over 90 years. 

Comcast Extends 60-Days of Free Internet Service to New Internet Essentials Customers.  Originally set to expire on June 30, the free offer will now be available through the end of this year. In addition, Comcast Extends Free Public WiFi Access to Everyone For the Remainder of 2020.  This includes free access to 1.5 million public Xfinity WiFi hotspots to anyone who needs them, including non-customers, through the end of 2020. To read more, visit their website.

Comcast has a blog post by Tony Werner, president of the Technology, Product, Xperience organization within Comcast Cable. In the post, Tony provides an overview of the key factors that powered our network’s performance during this unprecedented surge.

As part of Comcast’s ongoing commitment to digital equity, including bridging the digital divide and closing the homework gap, the company is proud to participate in the federal government’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB). The temporary program, which is being rolled out nationwide this week, will assist consumers who have experienced financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, using the qualifications set by Congress and the FCC.

Comcast recently joined dozens of civil rights organizations, civil society groups, business associations and companies calling on Congress and the administration to adopt a long-term federally funded broadband benefit program that would offer financial support for broadband access to low-income individuals after the pandemic ends. 

As part of its overarching digital-equity goals, Comcast accelerated its work over the past year as the effects of the pandemic were felt far and wide, moving quickly to provide more programs and initiatives to help customers in need.

The EBB is available to those who qualify for the program across Comcast’s tiers of internet service, including the low-income-focused Internet Essentials, and offers up to $50 per month off the cost of internet service, and a $75 monthly discount in tribal areas. More details about how customers can sign up are available at www.xfinity.com/EBB.

Comcast recently marked the 10th anniversary of its Internet Essentials program, which has connected a total of 10 million people to the internet at home, while maintaining the low $9.95 monthly price since 2011. Comcast also committed to spending $1 billion over the next 10 years to help close the digital divide. To complement Internet Essentials, Comcast is building over 1,000 Lift Zones with free Wi-Fi across its markets in community centers and other accessible locations, creating safe spaces to get online. 

Comcast’s commitment to connectivity and to closing the digital divide and offering affordable broadband options has never been stronger or more important.

CVS Health announced a $1 million monetary contribution and up to $100,000 in product donations to support relief efforts in communities in Florida and Puerto Rico impacted by the devastation of Hurricanes Ian and Fiona. Read more on their efforts.

CVS Health launched their 2021 Enterprise COVID-19 Response Report. This is the second of a two-part series that covers their enterprise response to the COVID-19 epidemic. Reporting covers support of colleagues, customers, clients, members and our communities. There are many accomplishments highlighted throughout the report that demonstrate the tremendous value CVS Health brings to our communities. Most visibly among these efforts, CVS Health leads the nation in both COVID-19 diagnostic testing and vaccination, having administered approximately 41 million tests and more than 50 million vaccinations since inception.

Deloitte created a resource highlighting how COVID-19 will impact the technology-reliant business world today.

With all of the focus on safe reopening, Deloitte is assisting several states with setting up their contact tracing systems. Deloitte also has a Staying safe: Sustaining your organizational cyber hygiene amid COVID-19 disruption guide.

Deloitte has created a GovConnect Public Health Transformation Platform designed as a suite of case management and analytics solutions, built on Salesforce, that help government leaders and public health officials make better real-time decisions about complex and rapidly changing public health crises such as COVID-19.

As you know, states are grappling with how to best utilize funds from the CARES Act and other federal action for their unprecedented level of needs. Deloitte is receiving calls from state clients every day asking which CARES Act funds can be used to support specific projects. To help states address these challenges, Deloitte has developed an approach to federal funding that focuses on the states’ objectives and minimizes risks. Deloitte’s approach combines COVID-19 funding compliance with a Strategy Engine tool to efficiently align expenses to the optimal funding streams for reimbursement, while minimizing risk of deobligation. Read more.

Edison Electric Institute (EEI) has updated resources and guidance from the Department of Energy on critical infrastructure employees and the Electricity Subsector Coordinator Council's Assessing and Mitigating the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). These resources include:  

• An Open Letter to the Men and Women of the Electric Power Industry. The letter urges EEI’s workers to lead by example and to serve as role models in its communities by following CDC guidance on personal hygiene, social distancing, and, the use of masks or face coverings. 
• The ESCC Resource Guide: Assessing and Mitigating the Novel Coronavirus, Version 9 is now available and includes information about contact tracing, testing, and reentry issues. 
• Giving Back: EEI Member Companies Help Their Customers and Communities. This month's issue of Electric Perspectives magazine showcases the mission-essential role of our workforce and the depth and breadth of member companies' COVID-19 response. They also highlight ways their members are supporting their customers and communities.  

As vaccination efforts shift from the current supply-constrained scenario, states need to develop and adjust their scaling strategies to enable efficient distribution, communications, and vaccine administration. We have distilled five policy considerations from leading practices across the country that can help states systematically achieve their vaccine throughput methodology to diagnose challenges and propose solutions for states as their vaccination efforts expand.

Read more

Governments worldwide have trusted geographic information system (GIS) technology to support decision making, resource allocation, and civic engagement during the COVID-19 response. Now moving into the recovery phase, organizations are using GIS to tackle equitable and speedy testing, treatment, and vaccine distribution. Most jurisdictions already have access to GIS through Esri’s ArcGIS software. Your organization can leverage the free tools, solutions, and data Esri has made available today. Explore these resources to get started:

• Explore Resources for COVID-19 Response
• Support Equitable & Speedy Vaccine Distribution

In addition, Esri& has created Map-Based Apps to Help Fight Food Insecurity Caused by COVID-19.

Since the outset of the pandemic, Gilead Sciences has worked closely with global health authorities to respond through the appropriate use of Veklury® (remdesivir). Veklury is a nucleotide analog invented by Gilead. Veklury has broad-spectrum antiviral activity both in vitro and in vivo in animal models against multiple emerging viral pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In the United States, the FDA approved Veklury on Oct. 22, 2020 for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients ≥12 years old and weighing ≥40 kg requiring hospitalization for COVID-19. We believe Veklury will continue to be effective against recently emerged variants of SARS-CoV-2 including both the UK and South Africa strains, based on an initial analysis of available information.

Read more about Gilead’s Response to COVID-19 and their efforts to Supply Veklury® for COVID-19.

As public health authorities ramp up COVID vaccination efforts, Google is committed to continuing to do its part. Besides its focus on providing authoritative information about vaccines across its platforms, Google published new initiatives, product features, and a commitment of more than $150 million to promote vaccine education, outreach and equitable access. Read more.

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc. (HIMSS) is a global advisor and thought leader supporting the transformation of the health ecosystem, including the COVID-19 response, through information and technology. We work alongside both U.S. federal and state policymakers to maximize the use of information and technology. Reach out to policy@himss.org to learn more.

HIMSS Urges Biden Administration to Maximize Health Information and Technology in COVID-19 Vaccination Plan

Health Data Privacy Policy Compliance Challenges in the U.S. Infographic

IBM provides information on their Vaccine Accountability Network and Digital Health Pass.

Vaccine Accountability Network

At IBM, we firmly believe every company and individual should collectively contribute to ensure fellow citizens are safe from the virus and its impact as well as on a path for expedited economic recovery. IBM is actively assisting federal, state and local governments to ensure the integrity of the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain and the secure management of vital information supporting COVID-19 vaccine distribution. This existing IBM capability enables state, federal, public and private information sharing in a permissioned and secure manner to track and optimize vaccine shipments, storage locations, required injections, personnel, PPE, and delivery kits by providing data visibility across systems to improve the overall citizen experience and instill confidence in vaccine distribution integrity. This capability can also be used to ensure underserved populations receive appropriate and adequate levels of vaccines and associated notifications. Learn more.

IBM Digital Health Pass

As vaccine availability begins to scale, IBM is working with federal, state and local level governments to hasten distribution while strengthening public trust in authenticity and safety. IBM is helping governments and businesses collaborate with confidence, share information and ensure end-to-end certification of vaccines across a complex supply chain network using technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. For example, IBM’s Digital Health Pass supports organizational policies that help bring people back to a physical location, such as a workplace, school, stadium, or airline flight and provides individuals with a verifiable and privacy-preserving way to manage and share their health status as they return to public places. Read more. 

The International Code Council continues to track how the global novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting our industry. We’ve put together this information and support for you, read more. The advocacy resources on this page  include how to access federal funds to support increased investment in building codes and code departments that support public safety.

Intuit would like to share a report on the Financial Impact of COVID-19 on 1 Million Small Businesses published today by QuickBooks, as well as an article by Alex Chriss (business leader of QuickBooks), which focuses on 5 Ways to Help Your Business Recover from Pandemic Losses.

Johnson & Johnson is addressing efforts in making a COVID 19 vaccine, “Tackling COVID-19 Through Testing, Treatment and Vaccine Distribution.”

LexisNexis has implemented new resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• Federal, state, and municipal government activity related to coronavirus including pending bills, new regulations, and executive orders.
• Access curated news, emerging legislative issues and research materials to stay on top of developments related to COVID-19 and the law.

During these unprecedented times, Maximus is closing the gaps on COVID-19 Contact Tracing.

Fifteen real estate trade associations representing lenders, property management organizations, and multifamily property owners are encouraging state and local policymakers to allocate or prioritize unspent federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds toward rental assistance. The Mortgage Bankers Association and other organizations have signed a letter that they respectfully ask you to share with the public service members of your organizations as the need for rental assistance is urgent, especially after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Sept. 4 national eviction moratorium. Read the letter.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, MultiState has been tracking state and local government activity in its COVID-19 State and Local Policy Tracker Landing Page and Policy Dashboard. These resources are one-stop shops for timely, accurate information on the state and local government response to the pandemic, and they’ve evolved over time as governments moved toward reopening and vaccine distribution. All policy activity relating to the pandemic is housed in one central location to ensure wide accessibility for the business, policy and public health communities. Additionally, all this information is updated daily by our team of experts. 

MultiState’s resources report on and analyze executive orders, emergency declarations and regulatory guidance documents issued by all 50 states and 200 local governments. The following information is housed in the Policy Dashboard, but we’ve also created separate resources on topics of interest:

• Reopening plans with analysis to compare across states
• Travel restrictions
• Mass gathering restrictions
• School closures
• Mask mandates 
• Vaccine distribution plans and status
• Health department contact information, official public health social media accounts, and other key public health contacts 

MultiState’s analysis and reporting are used by hundreds of organizations, businesses, associations and agencies to help them respond to and navigate the pandemic. Bookmark the following links for easy access and daily updates:

• COVID-19 State and Local Policy Tracker Landing Page 
• COVID-19 State and Local Policy Dashboard

To reopen the nation successfully and to suppress future COVID-19 outbreaks, National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) is urging government actions supporting three key objectives that are crucial for the health of all Americans, and especially for those who are left behind economically and medically. These actions, described in a report, relate directly to testing, contact tracing and vaccines or treatments.

Learn how the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) and NASPO ValuePoint impacted public procurement throughout the pandemic, and how those efforts have created positive change in the procurement profession. Read the article

The National Retail Federation launched Operation Open Doors, which contains a variety of resources for retail and restaurant businesses to track state and local ordinances and public health orders dealing with COVID-19. There are also shared best practices and practical guidance for businesses to implement safety and health measures. 

The Nuclear Energy Institute is closely tracking the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and assisting industry stakeholders on how to prepare for its impacts.

The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) has the follow COVID-19 resources:

• Assessment and Accountability in a Post-Coronavirus World
• Blog: As Schools Restart, NWEA is Ready for Remote Testing

The webinar “Supporting COVID-19 Recovery for Students With Disabilities: Research Findings, Policy Recommendations, and Lessons From the Ground” will include findings from NWEA’s new research designed to deepen understanding of how students with disabilities learn during the school year and during summers. The webinar will also include recommendations from the National Center for Learning Disabilities on how states and districts can use recovery funds to support students with disabilities and perspectives from a district superintendent regarding what this work looks like at the ground level. You can visit this page for details and registration.

In partnership with the Alliance for Excellent Education and the National Center for Learning Disabilities, NWEA held a webinar to share recent research on academic growth for students in special education before the pandemic and to discuss implications for policies and practices designed to spur COVID-19 recovery.

• Webinar Recording
• NCLD Policy recommendations
• NWEA 2-page brief
• NWEA Full Brief
• NWEA Presentation
• NCLD Presentation

The Online Lenders Alliance (OLA) urges all financial service companies to work with consumers during the current health and economic crises. OLA members have led the way, implementing numerous measures to assist consumers, including waiving fees, freezing interest, providing flexible payment plans and due date adjustments, and allowing consumers to skip payments. Its members are committed to working with their customers to help them make it through this difficult time. Find more information.

With the election fast approaching, PepsiCo will help employees stay connected to the communities where they live and work by partnering with organizations to provide information about registering for, and participating in, the upcoming election:

• PepsiCo has joined Time To Vote, a business-led, nonpartisan effort that works to ensure employees across America don't have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck.
• The company is also working with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 national organizations that work to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the U.S.

PepsiCo is also partnering with When We All Vote, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to increase voter registration, to host hybrid food and voter registration drives. Specifically, it will be supporting “Fuel the Vote” events in Detroit and Milwaukee, cities it is  also supporting through its COVID-19 relief efforts with the National Urban League and UnidosUS. More information about these events can be found here.

You may also see some of the company’s brands support more nonpartisan voter education efforts, like the Pepsi “Unmute Your Voice” campaign with Rock the Vote—available in English and Spanish—that was announced during MTV’s Video Music Awards ceremony. 

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) affirms its commitment to support federal, state and local public health agencies, as well as the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and to collaborate with health care providers, first responders and others. PCMA also commits to working closely with businesses, labor unions and government programs to ensure working families, seniors, individuals with disabilities and others get the prescription drugs they need in a timely and cost-effective manner, including at home. To help facilitate access to our nation's nearly 70,000 retail pharmacies, PCMA's companies are actively providing information to RxOpen, a central hub created after Hurricane Katrina to help ensure uniform, consistent supply-chain information is provided to stakeholders.

In addition, pharmacy benefit managers are already working with patients to address early refill needs and provide other resources. While COVID-19 itself is a new public health challenge, our companies have substantial experience in helping mitigate prescription drug access concerns in the event of natural disasters, including floods, wildfires, hurricanes and tornadoes. We have learned from previous regional and global health care events, such as Zika, Ebola and the H1N1 virus. We prepare annually for recurring health care events, including the influenza season. PCMA commends the work of state legislators around the country to address this pandemic and stand ready and willing to share our expertise. COVID-19 is yet another reminder of the need for robust private-public partnerships to facilitate the health and well-being of every American.

America’s biopharmaceutical companies have been working with one shared goal: beat COVID-19. These companies turned a once in a generation challenge into reality by delivering safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to patients in record time.

As we look to the future, our work isn’t done.

America’s biopharmaceutical companies continue to work closely with COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX), governments, insurers and other partners to make the vaccines and therapeutics accessible and affordable to people around the world.

Companies continue to research innovative approaches to prevent and treat infections and respond to emerging variants of the virus. And, the biopharmaceutical industry is working to learn more, be prepared and develop additional solutions to protect us against COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Read about PhRMA’s continued efforts. Additional resources include:

With recent news of FDA vaccine approval, many companies, governments and schools are creating new policies around vaccinations, masks and testing. However, most organizations do not have systems in place to securely capture and organize this kind of information. Regardless of how organizations decide to enact new policies—whether it’s vaccination mandates, mandatory masks, or others—it is critical for leaders to be aware of the status of COVID-19 among employees so proper protective measures can be put in place.

Qualtrics Vaccination Status Manager allows employees to upload images of their vaccination status, recent COVID test results or proof of exemption. In addition, a daily symptom checker can help prevent and predict potential outbreaks. As the global pandemic continues to evolve, Qualtrics gives companies the flexibility to tailor their COVID-19 monitoring systems to the needs of employees while keeping information secure.

As a leader in government innovation, Qualtrics has also gathered the emerging best practices around vaccine policies in government. Read more about our thought leadership here.

Access Elsevier’s free health and medical research on the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and COVID-19

The SAS Institute is using advanced analytics and link analysis to help uncover hidden patterns in the spread of COVID-19.  Read more information about their efforts.

At Sanofi, our purpose is to discover breakthrough medicines and vaccines to improve the lives of millions of people around the world. This drive to transform the practice of medicine has taken on increased urgency for everyone in the Sanofi family since the emergence of COVID-19 across the world.  Sanofi is rapidly responding to the evolving challenge of COVID-19. Our responsibility to our employees and their families, patients and caregivers, health care providers, public health officials and communities around the world drives us to act on our long history of innovation to bring cutting edge science and dedicated people to face this threat. We would like to take this opportunity to share our approach to this crisis.

This year, 1 in 4 children in the United States could face hunger because of the coronavirus. Millions of vulnerable children lost the healthy meals they depend on as the coronavirus closed schools nationwide. Before this crisis, millions of hungry kids relied on school for food. For many, it was the only food they might get on a given day. With classrooms closed, schools and local nonprofits are struggling to reach kids with the meals they need. And with many parents out of work, more children in the United States may be facing hunger than ever before.

No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. After 25 years of successfully investing in local nonprofits and helping find the best approaches to eradicating poverty and hunger, Share Our Strength launched No Kid Hungry in 2010. As a child hunger organization, ending childhood hunger is our primary focus, though Share Our Strength continues to invest in and develop other campaigns.

No Kid Hungry has a plan to make sure children get the food they need, both through emergency response during this crisis and during the coming school year.

Our experts are working with schools, school districts, state agencies and policy makers to share the lessons we are learning about how to ensure children and families receive the nutritional support they need, while leveraging policy levers and federal resources to support state and local school nutrition budgets, including which areas of the CARES ACT can be utilized to fund nutrition programs.

In addition, with many members of the restaurant community, many of whom are longstanding champions in the fight to end child hunger, feeling the impact of COVID-19 acutely, Share Our Strength has collected resources and opportunities to advocate in support of their recovery.

Siemens' health business has received Emergency Use Approval from the FDA and is ramping up shipment of the antibody test from U.S.-based facilities. The test is highly accurate with a demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 99.8% specificity in identifying SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Read the guide.

Sourcewell values service as its top priority and will continue to do so as we navigate these challenging times. These resources can help state and local governments procure hospital infrastructure and emergency response supplies, logistics and transportation, personal protective equipment, technology, and employee benefits.

State Farm's Good Neighbor Relief is returning a $2 billion dividend to State Farm Mutual auto insurance customers. On average, most customers will see a 25% policy credit. Customers do not need to take action. Credits will be applied automatically. For more on State Farm's efforts, please visit Newsroom State Farm for the latest company updates.

Target is committed to helping the families and communities in good times and bad. They play a critical role in providing customers across the country with essential goods as they manage the impact of the coronavirus — from food and medicine to supplies for working remotely and distance learning — all with health and safety as our top priority. Learn more. 

As lawmakers continue to guide their states through the COVID-19 pandemic, The Pew Charitable Trusts has turned its nonpartisan research efforts to help state leaders navigate these challenging times with evidence-based policy solutions. Pew’s latest research will help you:

To stay up to date on Pew’s latest publications, sign up for our biweekly State Policy Update newsletter.

Walmart has been providing COVID-19 testing since March 2020 in partnership with federal and state governments, labs, and insurance companies. Today, they continue to provide testing with Quest Diagnostics at sites across the country. Walmart is administering COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible patients at more than 2,700 locations in 44 states and jurisdictions. The company’s efforts to increase access in vulnerable communities includes creating community vaccination events in partnership with local community leaders and nonprofit organizations, as well as addressing vaccine hesitancy through educational partnerships with AdCouncil, COVID collaborative and others. 

• More information on Vaccines 
• Walmart’s response to COVID-19
• Walmart Customer Facing Info 
• To schedule an appointment (where/when available) visit: Walmart’s appointment page or Sam’s Club appointment page

In April, 2020 Wells Fargo's CEO Charlie Scharf announced that Wells Fargo would donate all of its Paycheck Protection Program processing fees back to nonprofits serving the small business community – an industry-leading commitment.

To help accelerate the recovery of small businesses, Wells Fargo will donate approximately $400 million in processing fees from the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses keep their doors open, retain employees, and rebuild.  Wells Fargo is donating gross PPP processing fees and is not keeping any portion of the PPP processing fees. Read the press release and FAQ.

Wells Fargo launched the Open for Business Fund to distribute funding―approximately $400 million―by creating opportunities for near-term access to capital and technical expertise. The effort addresses the road ahead to meaningful economic recovery, especially for Black, African American, Hispanic, Asian American and Native American entrepreneurs, among other minority-owned businesses. To date, Wells Fargo has distributed funds to a number of important organizations across the country, including in several in the Western states. Nationally, the company expects these funds will have helped protect 50,000 jobs by the end of 2020.

Wells Fargo also has been focused on helping its customers weather this storm and stay in their homes. Through fee waivers, payment deferrals and other assistance it has helped more than 3.2 million consumer and small business customers. The company also suspended residential property foreclosure sales and evictions, and granted three-month payment suspensions to customers with Wells Fargo Home Lending mortgages and home equity loans who request those suspensions.

More information is available on their COVID-19 resources and support page.

Providing Humanitarian Aid for the People of Ukraine

In response to the tragic events unfolding in Europe, Wells Fargo has announced $1 million in donations across three nonprofits in support of humanitarian aid for Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees as well as services that support the U.S. military across the globe. Specifically, funding will be provided to the organizations below:

• International Committee of the Red Cross – A global first responder, this organization manages health and medical needs, blood drives, temporary shelter, clothing and other urgent support.
• World Central Kitchen – Providing meals in times of crisis, the team is currently serving tens of thousands of Ukrainian families fleeing their homes as well as those who remain in the country.
• USO – Supporting American service members in Eastern Europe by providing care packages, blankets and hot meals to those operating in cold environments, the group also provides Wi-Fi and call centers to keep service members connected to family, home and country.

To read more about our support efforts, click here.

The Zillow Group has new resources. Find all the economic research team’s work on zillow.com/research. 

• Zillow adds down payment assistance information to sale listings: Zillow announced a partnership with Down Payment Resource to help home shoppers discover the wide variety of down payment assistance programs that can make homeownership more attainable, especially for first-time homebuyers. Home listings on Zillow now include information about the availability of down payment assistance programs for buyers searching for homes on its platform. 
• Playing catch-up: Putting the recent homebuilding "boom" in context: Since the Great Recession, there is a cumulative shortage of 1.35 million new single-family homes permitted in the 35 largest U.S. housing markets, which is 2.7 years’ worth of permits at today’s homebuilding rate. Homebuilders are doing what they can to meet high housing demand during the pandemic, but there remains a large deficit from years of underbuilding after the Great Recession. The biggest new construction shortfalls relative to population growth since 2008 have been in Dallas, Miami, Phoenix and Seattle.
• Zillow's hot housing takes for 2022: The housing market may not reach the incredible heights of 2021, but Zillow economists predict it will be anything but slow next year. Expect the strong sellers’ market to persist, the Sun Belt to maintain its top spot as the most in-demand region, and flexible work options to continue to shape housing decisions in new ways in 2022.  
• Stage set for unseasonably warm winter housing market (Nov. Market Report): The typical U.S. home was worth $316,368 in November, up 19.3% from a year ago—a new high in Zillow’s records. For-sale inventory fell for the second month in a row after promising gains from May to September. Rents are growing at their slowest monthly pace since March.