From The New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com)

As our region and our nation continue to grapple with the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, The New England Council is using our blog as a platform to highlight some of the incredible work our members have undertaken to respond to the outbreak. Each day, we’ll post a round-up of updates on some of the initiatives underway among Council members throughout the region. We are also sharing these updates via our social media, and encourage our members to share with us any information on their efforts so that we can be sure to include them in these daily round-ups.

You can find all the Council’s information and resources related to the crisis in the special COVID-19 section of our website. This includes our COVID-19 Virtual Events Calendar, which provides information on upcoming COVID-19 Congressional town halls and webinars presented by NEC members, as well as our newly-released Federal Agency COVID-19 Guidance for Businesses page.

Here is the April 21 roundup:

Medical Response

Beth Israel Producing Testing Swabs to Combat Shortage – Faced with a dwindling supply of testing materials, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has begun producing their own testing swabs in collaboration with local academics and manufacturers. The new swabs are already being used to test potential COVID-19 patients and will begin production on a larger scale soon. Read more from WBUR.
Home Base’s Gen. Jack Hammond Tapped to Lead Boston Hope Medical Center – General Jack Hammond, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Red Sox Home Base Program, has been chosen by Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA) to serve as co-medical and operations director at Boston Hope Medical Center. Gen. Hammond will draw on both his personal experience serving in the military and in his role at Home Base to work with state and local officials to coordinate care for the unsheltered and those in post-acute care. Read more in The Boston Globe and the press release.
Dartmouth College Researchers Developing Improved Test – Researchers at Dartmouth College are working to create a new, improved test for COVID-19. The lab has partnered with a California biotech company to make the test more reliable and quicker to produce results. The test awaits FDA approval as it is being compared to the test currently being used in the United States. Read more from The New Hampshire Business Review

Economic/Business Continuity Response

Worcester State University Receives $484,000 Grant to Improve Remote Learning – To support its transition to remote learning, Worcester State University (WSU) has received over $484,000 in grants from a Boston venture philanthropy firm. The funds will be used to cover a variety of expenses, such as laptops and a university-wide texting system to remind students of upcoming deadlines. The measures are designed to especially help first-generation students, a demographic already more likely to drop out of school. The Worcester Business Journal has more.

Community Response

City of Providence Buys 34,000 Masks for Frontline Workers – The City of Providence has partnered with its firefighters union to purchase 34,000 N95 masks for first responders directly exposed to the virus. Masks, along with other protective equipment such as gloves, will be distributed to responders and other essential personnel who require them. Read more from WPRI.
UnitedHealth Announces $5 Million to Support Healthcare Workers – UnitedHealth Group, as part of its initial $60 million commitment to combating the coronavirus pandemic, has announced a $5 million initiative to support the healthcare workforce. Specifically, the funds will be directed toward efforts to procure more personal protective equipment (PPE) and to provide mental health support to those working directly with COVID-19 patients. Read the press release here.

Stay tuned for more updates each day, and follow us on Twitter for more frequent updates on how Council members are contributing to the response to this global health crisis.

A respiratory therapist (RT) examines a mechanically ventilated patient on an intensive care unit. RTs are responsible for optimizing ventilation management, adjustment and weaning. See Southern Maine Community College item below. — A ***respiratory therapist*** *(RT) examines a mechanically ventilated patient on an* *intensive care unit. RTs are responsible for optimizing ventilation management, adjustment and weaning. See Southern Maine Community College item below.*

From The New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com)

BOSTON

You can find all the Council’s information and resources related to the crisis in the special COVID-19 section of our Web site. This includes our COVID-19 Virtual Events Calendar, which provides information on upcoming COVID-19 Congressional town halls and webinars presented by NEC members, as well as our newly-released Federal Agency COVID-19 Guidance for Businesses page.

Here is the April 8 roundup:

Medical Response

Southern Maine Community College Students Learn on Front Lines of Pandemic – Students studying respiratory therapy at Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) are gaining important and meaningful experience working alongside therapists in local hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. The students are performing breathing treatments and administering medication that will alleviate the strain on the state’s medical providers. The Bangor Daily News has more.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital to Begin New Plasma-Based Therapy Clinical Trial – At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, researchers are turning to a promising potential treatment from a Chinese study for the novel coronavirus. The therapy, which utilizes plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients, is entering clinical trials after the FDA gave the hospital a green light to test it. Boston 25 News
Boston University Scientists See Breakthrough in COVID-19 Research – The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) at Boston University has successfully utilized glowing antibodies to illuminate the virus that causes COVID-19 infections. Now that NEIDL has the ability to “see” the virus, the team can test its inventory of thousands of drugs to detect which are most effective at reducing or stopping the spread of infection. Read more in The Brink.
Endicott College Creates Protective Equipment – Endicott College is now using its 3-D printing equipment, as well as its existing supplies, to create and donate protective equipment to healthcare workers. While the equipment is considered “homemade” and cannot be accepted by hospitals, the supplies produced at Endicott is being donated to non-front line workers such as oncology clinics and funeral home, freeing up the supply of professional, medical-grade equipment for front-line workers. More information here.
UMass Boston Labs Donate Protective Equipment – Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) School for the Environment are donating their unused personal protective equipment (PPE) to Boston hospitals. The school hopes this practice will spread to other labs whose research has been suspended. Read more here.

Economic/Business Continuity Response

UMaine Converts Planetarium into Supercomputer for Research –With its campus currently closed to students, the University of Maine (UMaine) has transformed its planetarium into a supercomputer to run visualization programs for researchers across the country. The data from the use of the planetarium’s conversion could be used to develop new diagnostic tests or even potential therapies. The Bangor Daily News
UPS Dedicates Facilities and Operations to Equipment Delivery – In partnership with FEMA, shipping company UPS has committed a 450,000 square-foot facility to the agency, along with 25 chartered flights, to expedite delivery of necessary medical and protective equipment to U.S. hospitals. The effort, named Project Airbridge, is expected to deliver over three million pounds of materials. GlobeNewswire has more.

Community Response

Easterseals Rehabilitation Services Transitions to Virtual Therapy – Easterseals Massachusetts is offering three virtual therapy sessions to patients who make a one-time donation of any amount. The sessions aim to assist children who are missing occupational or speech-language therapy due a switch to remote learning. Read more.
Boston Celtics Forward Pledges to Match $250,000 in Donations to Greater Boston Food Bank – Despite being sidelined by quarantine for the remainder of his season, forward Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics has committed to match up to $250,000 to support the Greater Boston Food Bank. Tatum, a Missouri native, has also partnered with the St. Louis Area Foodbank to contribute another $250,000. com reports.
UnitedHealth Group Provides $2 Billion in Financial Support to Healthcare Providers – UnitedHealth Group is accelerating almost $2 billion in financial support and payments to its care network. The funds will be distributed to healthcare systems in the group’s network, and builds upon the company’s earlier action to expand access to care and accreditation. Read the press release here.

Stay tuned for more updates each day, and follow us on Twitter for more frequent updates on how Council members are contributing to the response to this global health crisis.