Abbott has received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA for its molecular test for the identification of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The company is deploying 150,000 laboratory tests immediately. Testings already have been sent to hospital and academic medical center labs in 18 states including Illinois, California, New York, Massachusetts and Washington. Abbott is scaling up production at its U.S. manufacturing location to reach capacity for one million tests per week by end of March. To read more about what Abbott Labs is doing, click here.
AEP has temporarily suspended all service disconnections for nonpayment. If a customer is having difficulty paying their bill, they should contact AEP by phone, Facebook or Twitter to discuss payment options.
The American Electric Power Foundation is donating $1.5 million in emergency funds, including approximately $500,000 in Ohio, to support basic human needs and help address the hardships faced by customers and communities.
Allstate Shelter-On-Place payback is offering personal auto insurance customers on average a 15% discount on their April and May monthly premiums. For more information, click here.
Anheuser Busch (Ambev SA) is using one of its breweries to produce a half a million bottles of hand sanitizer that will be used in public hospitals.
Consistent with FCC Chairmain's Pai's "Keep American's Connected Pledge," AT&T is supporting customers that for the next 60 days they will:
More information found here.
AT&T has created a special website devoted to what the company is doing during the pandemic and how that impacts consumer, business customers and employers. The information can be found here.
Aunt Flow has switched their manufacturing line over to produce FDA approved masks. Those needing masks can contact the company at hello@auntflow.com or 562-320-8250 ext. 102.
BigTimeBats.com has shifted resources towards its affiliate BigTimePPE.com. Through their manufacturing contacts, they have sourced FDA approved PPE that is made by factories with active 2020 FDA certificates. Their product offerings include KN95 masks, N95 respirators, surgical masks and hand sanitizer. They've supplied states, hospitals, nursing homes and re-opening companies with the protective equipment they need to keep employees safe. For more info, visit their website here or call manager, Dan Obie, at 847-858-0360.
Boehringer Ingelheim commits to donating $500,000 to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) COVID-19 Crisis Fund. Boehringer Ingelheim is the first pharmaceutical company to contribute to this important fund that helps bolster ATS's wide-reaching efforts to fight COVID-19 and assist the pulmonology and critical care communities most urgent medical needs. For more information, click here.
BP is donating 3 million gallons of jet fuel to FedEx and Alaska Airlines to support the timely delivery of personal protective equipment and other essential goods to areas of the U.S. at greatest risk for COVID-19.
The donation to FedEx Express, supplied by Air BP, will be used solely for international air transportation to and from the U.S. to deliver critical medical supplies, including gloves, gowns, ventilators and masks, that support the effort to fight COVID-19. For more info, click here.
CSL Behring and Takeda Pharmaceuticals have led the formation of a plasma industry alliance with Biotest, BPL Group and Octapharma aimed at working toward devevloping one, unbranded anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal hyperimmune immunoglobulin medicine with the potential to treat individuals with serious complications from COVID-19 and to support national governments in their efforts to fight the current pandemic.
Developing a hyperimmune will require plasma donation from many individuals who have fully recovered from COVID-19, and whose blood contains antibodies that can fight the novel coronavirus. For more information, click here.
Charter Communications/ Spectrum plans to offer free internet to students without access as COVID-19 forces some schools to switch to online learning. Beginning March 16, the company commits to offering free internet for 60 days to hosueholds with K-12 or college students who don't already have a Spectrum subscription.
The company also plans to partner with school districts to ensure communities are aware of the tools to help students learn remotely. It is also opening Wi-Fi hotspots for public use.
To enroll, call 1-844-488-8395, or find information here.
Their commitment to their employees is why, in an email to their team, Charter CEO Tom Rutledge announced a further investment in their workforce by permanently raising their minimum wage for all employees to $20 per hour. The initial increase will be implemented immediately for frontline field technicians and customer service call center employees who are the face of the company to their nearly 30 million customers and who are providing critical services to communities, emergency relief workers and government entities.
Those frontline hourly workers – regardless of current wage – will receive an immediate $1.50 per hour increase and subsequent increases so that in 2022 all current and future hourly employees will have a starting rate of $20 an hour or more.
For more information, click here.
Columbia Gas has announced it will voluntarily suspend all shutoffs due to nonpayment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes all residential, commercial and industrial customers and will remain in effect until further notice. In addition, Columbia Gas will offer its most flexible payment plans to customers who indicate either an impact or hardship as a result of COVID-19, and will suspend late payment charges until May 1. More information is available here.
Crocs, with support from JobsOhio and Heidelberg Distrubuting, is donating 14,000 pairs of shoes to the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association.
Discount Drug Mart is giving bonuses to hourly employees during COVID-19 pandemic. For every hour worked by a team member, they will receive a lump sum payment equivalent to a $2.00 per hour increase to the base hourly rate. They are also hiring 250 positions statewide.
CVS Health has opened drive-thru test sites in Ohio at select CVS Pharmacy locations. Increasing the availability of testing is a critical step in our ability to manage the disease and mitigate risk so that we can begin to implement plans to safely reopen the economy.
CVS Health is offering self-swab tests to individuals at test sites. Patients must register in advance at CVS.com to schedule an appointment.
We encourage citizens to take advantage of these expanded testing opportunities, particularly if you are in a high-risk demographic or experiencing symptoms. You can find the closest test location and more information here.
CVS is hiring thousands of people across the U.S. from retail associates to pharmacy technicians. To find available positions and additional information on hiring, click here.
For customers, CVS has implemented several new programs including waiving the fee to have prescriptions delivered. They're also working with insurers to waive early refill limits. To learn more about what CVS is doing during the pandemic, click here.
The Eli Lilly and Company is introducing the Lilly Insulin Value Program, allowing anyone with commercial insurance and those without insurance at all to fill their monthly prescription of Lilly insulin for $35. The program is effective today and covers most Lilly insulins including all Humalog® (insulin lispro injection 100 units/mL) formulations.
The savings can be obtained by calling the Lilly Diabetes Solution Center at (833) 808-1234. The Solution Center is open 8 am to 8 pm (EDT) Monday through Friday. Representatives at the Solution Center will help people with diabetes obtain a card in the most convenient way for them, including through email or the U.S. mail. A card can typically be received within 24 hours by email. If you already have a co-pay card from the Lilly Diabetes Solution Center for an amount higher than $35, no action is necessary. Active co-pay cards have been re-set to a $35 co-pay.
More information can be found here.
FirstEnergy is committed to keeping the lights on for customers through the COVID-19 health emergency. As part of that commitment, the company's 10 electric utilities have discontinued power shutoffs for customers who are past due on their electric bills. FirstEnergy utilities are also encouraging budget billing options for customers facing financial hardships during this time.
To help provide essential food and nutrition to those who need it most during the pandemic, the FirstEnergy Foundation has contributed a half million dollars to 42 food banks across the company's six-state service area. The Foundation has also accelerated approx. $1.5 million in matching contributions to 116 United Way agencies to help them respond to the COVID-19 crisis and support impacted individuals in FirstEnergy communities.
GE Healthcare and Ford Motor Company will work together to scale the production of ventilators, arming clinicians with medical equipment important in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Through this collaboration, Ford will provide its technical and production expertise with the goal of manufacturing a simplified design of GE Healthcare's existing ventilator. This new system would be built specifically to address urgent needs during the pandemic, equipped with the essential functions required to safely treat COVID-19 patients. More information on what GE Healthcare is doing during the pandemic can be found here.
Read about how GE employees and retirees have come together to help produce much-needed ventilators here.
Grange Insurance Company announced that its auto insurance customers will receive a 25% premium refund for April and May related to the various COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders. The company estimates the impact to be up to $25 million in relief throughout all of its operating states. The refunds are part of the company's ongoing efforts to support its customers, independent agents, employees and communities during these uncertain times. For more information, go here.
Grange Insurance Company also announced its Business Owner Policy (BOP) payback, which will return 20% of April and May premiums to its BOP customers. This support is an expansion of the customer relief the company recently unveiled for its personal auto customers. More info on the program here.
Honda is using their 3D printers to create face shields for medical providers and donated their N95 masks to frontline healthcare workers. They have also invested by helping with the immediate need of producing much-needed medical supplies. To learn more about what Honda is doing, including donating $1 million to help communities with food needs, click here.
Honda is now manufacturing compressors for ventilators to help victims of COVID-19, an entirely new product in their 40-year manufacturing history. Find more information here.
Huntington Bank has many programs available to consumers and small business customers to offer security and solace during this time. Information on their programs can be found here.
Johnson & Johnson announced on March 30 the selection of a lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate from constructs it it has been working on since January 2020; the significant expansion of the existing partnership between the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA); and the rapid scaling of the company's manufacturing capacity with the goal of providing global supply of more than one billion doses of a vaccine. More information is available on their website.
Johnson & Johnson is hosting a weekly update on the Road to a Vaccine with reporter Lisa Ling. More info on how to tune-in, go here.
Kroger is hiring 20,000 people across the nation to keep up with the demand of food and supplies. They are currently paying a "Hero Bonus" of an extra $2 per hour for hourly, frontline workers from March 29 to April 18. The Hero Bonus will be distrubuted weekly so that employees won't have to wait until payday to receive it. This is in addition to a bonus of $300 for all full-time employees and $150 for part-time employees which will be paid on April 3. For more information on careers at Kroger, click here.
The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation has committed more than $6 million to support our neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants are funding local food banks and ensuring children with school closures have access to nutritious meals. Donations can be made to their Emergency COVID-19 Response Fund either online or by rounding up your purchase to the nearest dollar or committing $1, $5 or $10.
Marathon Petroleum has donated over 100,000 N-95 masks to Ohio hospitals.
After producing more than 50,000 bottles of free hand sanitizer for front-line responders, Middle West Spirits announced its online store is live and offers the public access to liquid hand sanitizer by the case. As part of the government's emergency proclamation, Middle West is approved to ship its distilled liquid hand sanitizer directly to consumers, maximizing both safety and speed. Significantly discounted bulk pricing is available now for essential industries via an online bulk industry form. Three direct-to-consumer shipping options are available on their website with normal shipping.
Employees who lose their insurance are eligible to enroll in an individual plan through a special enrollment period. This period extends for 60 days after their previous coverage has terminated. They may enroll through the CMS portal at healthcare.gov, with agent/broker assistance or directly with Molina Healthcare at molina.healthsherpa.com. Questions can be directed to ami.cole@molinahealthcare.com.
The Nationwide Foundation is donating a total of $5 million to help and support charities during the coronavirus pandemic. The foundation said it's giving $1 million each in national response grants to the American Red Cross, Feeding America and the United Way. Grants worth a total of $2 million will be given to communities where Nationwide companies do business.
The foundation also donated medical supplies including masks and surgical gloves to Nationwide Children's Hospital and Ohio Health in Columbus, and Mercy One and UnityPoint in Des Moines, Iowa.
Nationwide is also offering a one-time premium refund of $50 per policy for personal auto policies active as of March 31, 2020. For more information, click here.
Novo Nordisk has expanded its Diabetes Patient Assistance Program (PAP) to support people with diabetes who have lost health insurance coverage because of a chance in job status due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They may now be eligible to enroll in their PAP and receive insulin free of charge for 90 days, or any of their other offerings. For more info, click here.
The Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Fight COVID-19 has launched the Ohio Emergency PPE Makers' Exchange, an online marketplace where organizations that need Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and related equipment can find a wide selection offered by Ohio manufacturers. This online marketplace offers PPE and related equipment for health care workers, first responders and essential businesses. It's especially well-suited for organizations that may have lower-volume needs, such as small businesses.
Pfizer is working with many other companies to develop antiviral therapies to help patients fight COVID-19 and is also helping to develop vaccines. More information on their website.
Since January, P&G mobilized teams to provide the capability to manufacture and distribute hand sanitizer in five plants around the globe. Perfumers in Europe used their chemical management expertise to develop and create their own Surface Sanitizer. Within three days, a multi-functional team assembled to develop, test and produce hand sanitizer with great agility. These experts shared their learnings with manufacturing facility leaders to scale the production capabilities some of which is doing done in Lima, Ohio. Read more here.
Red Roof Inn understands the difficulty of this uncertain time especially for university and continuing education students who were suddenly displaced as a result of campuses closing due to CDC protocols in response to COVID-19. College students displaced because of their schools' closure can receive 30% off a hotel stay through May 31, 2020. Those impacted can make reservations at redroof.com and use VP+/ Promo Code 627535 or call 800-733-7663 and ask for the student Support Program Special Discount.
The Columbus-based international fitness manufacturing has added production of medical supplies and equipment to their expansive line of fitness equipment. They are currently sewing masks and surgical gowns and are manufacturing medical equipment. Rogue Fitness is currently hiring 100 people at their Columbus headquarters to keep up with these new products. For job listings, click here.
In response to urgent needs by medical professionals for protective equipment to combat COVID-19, Solvay is supplying high-performance, medical-grade transparent film to Boeing for its production of face shields. Boeing approached Solvay due to its experience in the use of advanced composite and adhesive materials on multiple commercial and defense programs. For more information, click here.
State Farm Good Neighbor Relief Program is returning $2 billion dividend to mutual auto insurance customers. On average, most customers will see a 25% policy credit. For more info, click here.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted have launched a new "Ohio. Find It Here." campaign to help residents support businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visit Support Local Ohio to find:
U.S. Bank has announced a $30 million commitment to support COVID-19 relief efforts in communities around the country. They are also offering a Premium Pay Program for critical front-line U.S. Bank employees. Finally, for customers, they are offering temporary adjustments to several lending products and services, which make them more affordable and accessible to existing customers who may be financially impacted, along with relief and forbearance programs to those who qualify. More information on all of their programs is available here.
Resources for Small Businesses in Response to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic
Click here for a list of federal resources.
U-Haul is offering college students a free month of storage in their company-owned storage locations. The free month applies to new customers with college IDs and is a limited-time offer subject to availability. Click here to find the store nearest you. Contact the store by phone or visit in person to take advantage of the offer.
Verizon will waive late fees for 60 days from March 16 through May 16, and will not terminate service to a customer who has been impacted by the events involving COVID-19. More information is available here.
The CDC recommended every American wear a cloth mask when outside the home, so Where I'm From provided affordable, high-quality options for customers to help slow the spread of COVID-19 by producing at-cost non-medical grade cloth masks. Find more here.
Westfield is returning more than $16 million to personal auto insurance customers. Eligible personal auto insurance customers will receive a 15% credit on their monthly auto premium for the months of April, May and June 2020. For more info, click here. Westfield is also offering flexible billing solutions to help customers facing financial hardships.
The Westfield Insurance Foundation is helping communities in Northeast Ohio and across the country by donating nearly $1.5 million to nonprofit partners focused on family stability and disaster recovery.
Now through April 30, healthcare workers and EMTs can receive a free White Castle 1-6 combo meal or breakfast at any White Castle drive-thru when they show their work ID. More info here.
