Healthcare Industry Actions to Protect Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic – September 8, 2020

The Healthcare Leadership Council is comprised of leading companies from every sector of American healthcare.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be sharing examples of actions these companies are taking to protect and assist the public and combat the virus’s spread.  If you would like assistance in reaching a representative for any of these companies, please contact Kelly Fernandez at kfernandez@hlc.org. 

• AMN Healthcare documented how its rapid response capabilities helped a major midwestern state create two field hospitals with more than 1,000 beds combined to handle patient overflow from hospitals overwhelmed by the pandemic. The company’s Open Talent Marketplace technology made swift staffing of this temporary hospitals possible.

• A substance abuse counselor with DePaul Community Health Center in Louisiana, part of the Ascension system, did an interview with a local TV news affiliate discussing the behavior health work that is so critical with unemployment and isolation creating mental health challenges during the pandemic and provided contact information for people who need assistance.

• Cleveland Clinic’s fifth annual “MENtion It” campaign, focusing on men’s health issues, is looking closely at the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on men. A survey commissioned by the Clinic found that 77 percent of men say their stress level has increased during the pandemic and nearly half say their emotional and mental health has worsened.  The Clinic is conducting an information campaign to encourage men to seek professional healthcare assistance for these challenges.

• Several biopharmaceutical manufacturers, including HLC members Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Pfizer have issued a joint “historic pledge to uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work toward potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines.”

• LabCorp has announced the launch of the first testing method that can simultaneously detect COVID-19, influence, and respiratory syncytial virus. The test can be administered by physicians, but LabCorp has also filed an application with the FDA to make the test available to consumers through its at-home test collection kit.

• Magellan Health has posted a guide discussing the emotional health dangers connected with isolation, quarantining, and social distancing, providing several everyday steps individuals can take to help handle these challenges.

• A critical care nurse with Texas Health Resources provided vital medical and emotional support to a woman who gave birth while she had COVID-19 and required ventilator assistance. The nurse, Zacharri Polyak, arranged an app, with philanthropic support, that allowed the woman around-the-clock viewing access of her baby and had a translator join him so he could sit with the woman, who did not speak English, and ease her feelings of isolation and depression.