By: Florida Blue, CEO Pat Geraghty
The COVID-19 virus is testing our resolve, and the numbers here in Florida tell an extremely concerning story.
By every key metric, our state has recently been reaching record levels on an almost daily basis. These include the number of new COVID-19 cases, and the percentage of those tested for COVID-19 who are positive. Our hospitalization rates are alarming. Since March 1, Florida has reported more than 400,000 COVID-19 total cases and over 5,500 deaths.
As leaders serving Florida, we are urgently asking our community to join us in renewing our commitment to following safety guidelines, recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent more people from getting infected, becoming sick or unfortunately even dying. We all need to take personal responsibility to do the right thing for ourselves and one another to avoid our community experiencing an even more severe impact from COVID-19 like we have seen in other parts of our country.
The most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed in the first place. There are simple steps we can take to effectively reduce the risk of transmission and turn the tide in our community.
1.Wear a mask when you’re outside of your home. Wearing masks should not be a controversial or a divisive issue. Masks can help save lives, just like seatbelts, traffic lights and life vests. Multiple studies, including a recent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, show that individuals with no symptoms or mild symptoms can transmit the virus to others. But wearing simple cloth masks can stop more than 90% of the droplets that transmit the virus.
2.Practice social distancing. Where possible, keep at least six feet between you and other people outside your home. Remember, even people who do not appear sick can still spread the virus to you if you are too close. Avoiding close proximity to other people will help to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.
3.Wash hands frequently. Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after being in public or blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing, can help stem the spread. If soap and water is not available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes with unwashed hands.
4.Avoid the Three Cs. The World Health Organization has recommended avoiding “Crowded” places with many people nearby, “Close” contact settings where people have close range conversations, and “Confined,” enclosed places with poor ventilation. If you do make the decision to gather with others, it is much safer to do so outdoors rather than indoors.
In addition to these important preventative measures, there are ways for those who have contracted and fully recovered from COVID-19 to help combat the virus. Individuals who fully recover have antibodies to the disease that researchers believe can potentially help people with severe COVID-19 fight the virus. If you fall within this category, talk to your primary care physician about whether donating convalescent plasma through your local blood donation center is an option for you.
We know these tactics to fight COVID-19 work because we have seen them successfully deployed here in Florida and in other states and countries. Spikes like those we are experiencing have been overcome through concerted efforts that adhere to proven approaches.
We are leaders from business, community organizations, and health care and academic institutions. Our perspective is based solely on research and science. Our role is to help guide and protect the public health and well-being of our community.
Working together, we can take simple but important steps to protect one another and bring the virus under control throughout Florida. Feeling safe and being safe will be the cornerstones of our economic recovery as health and prosperity are inextricably linked. Now more than ever, our collective actions will dictate our shared future.
By:
âPat Geraghty, President & CEO, GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation & Florida Blue
âThe Board of Directors, GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation & Florida Blue
âCarlos Alfonso, CEO, Alliant Partners, LLC/Alfonso Architects
âMaria C. Alonso, CEO, United Way of Miami-Dade
âDouglas Baer, President and CEO, Brooks Rehabilitation
âJohn D. Baker, II, Executive Chairman, FRP Holdings, Inc.
âJason Barrett, President & CEO, Flagler Hospital
âRodney Barreto, President & CEO, Barreto Group, Inc.
âDr. Wael K. Barsoum, President & Chief Transformation Officer, Health Outcomes Performance Company
âRichard A. Beard, President, R.A. Beard Co.
âRichard Berkowitz, Founding & Executive Chairman, Berkowitz Pollack Brant Advisors & CPAs
âAlan Bomstein, CEO, Creative Contractors, Inc.
âMichelle Braun, CEO, United Way of Northeast Florida
âColin Brown, Chairman, JM Family Enterprises, Inc.
âHenry Brown, CEO, Miller Electric
âKenneth Burdick, Executive VP, Markets & Products, Centene Corporation
âWalt Bussells, President, Forbes Street Capital, LLC
âKathleen Cannon, President & CEO, United Way of Broward County
âHugo Castro, Executive Vice President, Equitable Advisors, LLC
âRavi Chari, President & CEO, HCA Healthcare West Florida Division
âGary Chartrand, Chairman & Philanthropist, The Chartrand Family Foundation
âJose Cil, CEO, Restaurant Brands International, Inc.
âDr. Michael J. Clare-Salzler, Director of the Center for Immunology and Transplantation, University of Florida
âPeter Collins, Co-Founder and Managing Principal, Forge Capital Partners
âChris Corr, President, Raydient Places & Properties, RAYONIER
âTim Cost, President, Jacksonville University
âBrett Couch, Sr. Executive Vice President, Regions Bank
âJohn D. Couris, President & CEO, Tampa General Hospital
âThomas Crowley, Jr., Chairman & CEO, Crowley Maritime Corporation
âNathalie Doobin, Owner & CEO, Harvard Services Group
âRoger Dow, President & CEO, U.S. Travel Association
âDan Doyle, Jr., President & CEO, Dex Imaging
âG. Ray Driver, Jr., Founding Partner, Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow, PLLC
âWilliam T. Dymond Jr., President & CEO, Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor and Reed, P.A.
âA. Zachary Faison Jr., J.D., President & CEO, Edward Waters College
âMark Faulkner, President & CEO, Baptist Health Care
âMichael T. Fay, Principal, Managing Director-Miami, Avison Young
âJeff Feasel, President & CEO, Halifax Health
âAurelio M. Fernandez, III, President & CEO, Memorial Healthcare System
âMichael A. Finney, President & CEO, Miami-Dade Beacon Council
âFred Franklin, Managing Partner, Rogers Towers
âDr. Julio Frenk, President, University of Miami
âLaurie George, President & CEO, United Way of Palm Beach County
âDr. Deborah C. German, Dean, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida
âTim Giuliani, President & CEO, Orlando Economic Partnership
âRick Goings, Executive Chairman, Tupperware Brands Corporation
âGary M. Goldfarb, Chief Strategy Officer, Interport Logistics LLC
âDr. Lucio Gordan, President & Managing Physician, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute
âCharles Gressle, President & CEO, HCA Healthcare East Florida Division
âDr. Walt Griffin, Superintendent, Seminole County Public Schools
âDr. Leon Haley, Jr. CEO, UF Health Jacksonville and Dean, UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville
âRichard Hammett, President & CEO, HCA Healthcare North Florida Division
âM.C. (Ceree) Harden, CEO, Harden
âDebbie Harvey, President & CEO, Ron Jon Surf Shop, Inc.
âBen H. Hill, III, Chairman, Hill Ward Henderson, P.A.
âJohn Hogan, President & CEO, Capital Health Plan
âAnthony Hucker, Southeastern Grocers
âRichard Hume, CEO, Tech Data
âKevin E. Hyde, Managing Partner, Foley and Lardner, LLP
âDr. Joseph Iannotti, Interim CEO & President, Cleveland Clinic Florida
âTommy Inzina, CEO, BayCare Health System
âPam Iorio, President & CEO Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
âBarbara Jenkins, Superintendent of Orange County Public Schools
âTodd Jones, CEO, Publix
âJoseph G. Joyner, President, Flagler College
âBrian E. Keeley, President & CEO, Baptist Health South Florida Inc.
âScott P. Keith, Regional President, Truist Bank
âJohn Kelly, President, Florida Atlantic University
âThomas D. Kmetz, President, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
âKeith Koenig, CEO, City Furniture
âJack Kolosky, President, Moffitt Hospital
âMari Kuraishi, CEO, Jessie Ball duPont Fund
âDavid Lawrence, Jr., Chair, The Children’s Movement of Florida
âSenator George LeMieux, Chairman of the Board, Gunster
âPaul Leone, CEO, The Breakers Hotel
âDr. Charles J. Lockwood, Sr. VP USF Health, University of South Florida
âEric K. Mann, CEO, YMCA of Florida’s First Coast
âAmy Margerum Berg, President, The Better Angels Society
âAlex Martins, CEO, Orlando Magic
âBrett McClung, President & CEO Baptist Health
âCarlos A. Migoya, President & CEO, Jackson Health System
âDavid Miller, Executive Chairman, Brightway Insurance
âJeanne M. Miller, CEO, Jacksonville Civic Council
âMichael Munz, CEO Rummell Munz Partners, LLC
âDr. David R. Nelson, President, UF Health University of Florida
âRusty Newton, Chairman, Timucuan Asset Management
âGary Norcross, Chairman, President & CEO, FIS
âJames O’Leary, President & CEO, Haskell
âDonna Orender, CEO, Orender Unlimited
âJoc O’Rourke, President & CEO, The Mosaic Company
âLisa Palmer, President & CEO, Regency Centers
âFred Pezeshkan, Chairman of the Board, Summit Management Group-Florida
âLou Plasencia, CEO, The Plasencia Group
âOlga M. Ramudo, President & CEO, Express Travel
âPaul Reilly, Chairman & CEO, Raymond James Financial
âJohn Rivers, CEO, 4 Rivers
âKenneth D. Robinson, President, Dr. Phillips Charities
âFrank Rodriguez, Chairman Emeritus, Corporate Creations
âDr. Christopher Roellke, President, Stetson University
âMark B. Rosenberg, President, Florida International University
âPeter Rummell, Chairman, RummellMunz Partners, LLC
âMike Santarone, CEO, Stellar
âGino R. Santorio, President & CEO Broward Health
âShawn Seipler, CEO/Founder, Clean the World Foundation
âKathleen Shanahan, Co-Chair, Turtle & Hughes
âLinda Sherrer, Founder & Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty
âKent Shoemaker, CEO, Lipman Family Farms
âEric Silagy, President & CEO, Florida Power & Light Company
âKelly Smallridge, President & CEO, Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Inc.
âGreg Spencer, CEO, Timbers Resorts
âMartin (Hap) E. Stein Jr., Executive Chairman, Regency Centers
âRobert (Bobby) L. Stein, President, The Regency Group
âStuart Sternberg, Principal Owner, Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Rowdies
âCindy Stover, North Florida Market President, TD Bank
âDavid Strong, President & CEO, Orlando Health
âDavid T. Sweeney, CEO, RS&H Inc.
âBob Swindell, President & CEO, Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance
âT.J. Szelistowski, President, TECO Peoples Gas System
âDavid M. Szymanski, President, University of North Florida
âBradley Talbert, President and CEO, Memorial Hospital Jacksonville
âHugh Tappan, President & CEO, HCA Healthcare South Atlantic Division
âJohn J. Taylor III, President & CEO, J.J. Taylor Companies, Inc.
âTroy D. Taylor, Chairman & CEO, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC
âDr. Kent R. Thielen, CEO, Mayo Clinic in Florida
âRuss Thomas, CEO, Availity LLC
âDaryl Tol, President & CEO, Advent Health/Central Florida Division
âNancy Tower, President & CEO, Tampa Electric Co.
âTom Vanosdol, President & CEO, Ascension Florida
âDr. Ronald L. Vaughn, President, University of Tampa
âJeff Vinik, Owner, Tampa Bay Lightning
âBob Ward, President & CEO, Florida Council of 100
âWill Weatherford, Managing Partner, Weatherford Capital
âEric Woolworth, President of Business Operations, Miami Heat
âBill Yeargin, CEO, Correct Craft
âSam Zietz, President & CEO, TouchSuite