COVID 19 - FLORIDA
MASK SHORTAGE FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS
The novel coronavirus pandemic caused a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid contamination in U.S. hospitals. The N95 mask shortage forced hospitals to ration them so medical professionals needed assistance from the public to create cloth masks to help fill the void.
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Response: 20,000 homemade masks to assist Collier County medical and long term care facilities workers
Very special thank you to Wendy Morell and the Marco Patriot's Sewing Angels and Marco Canvas & Upholstery
MASS LAYOFFS AMONG HOSPITALITY WORKERS
On March 20, 2020 in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order directing restaurants and other food-service establishments to close dining rooms and use their kitchens solely for takeout and delivery purposes through May 8th. After the order was signed, Naples and Marco Island restaurants laid off hundreds of employees.
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Response: Financial support to furloughed workers
FOOD INSECURITY
With so many layoffs, food assistance needs increased exponentially in Collier County and strained the local pantries ability to ensure that families didn't go hungry.
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Response: Financial support to Our Daily Bread Food Pantry
FEAR, PANIC AND THE NEED TO MANAGE EVOLVING INFORMATION
When COVID 19 came to Marco Island, it was difficult to manage incoming information, regulations, mandates and fear of the unknown. Various social media sites caused confusion, anger and even more fear.
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Response: Zello channel to help manage communications and support with daily prayer, live updates and Q&A with city leadership
OLDER ADULTS STRUGGLE TO ACCESS VACCINE APPOINTMENT WEBSITES
People over the ages of 65 were prioritized for early waves of vaccination and at most at risk from COVID-19 but were also often uncomfortable and unfamiliar with technology. Buggy websites and complex online tools were being used to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments but these systems were hard to navigate for many people, but were particularly inaccessible for older adults.
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Response: Vaccine appointment scheduling team for seniors and medically challenged individuals
