NC Cases:
13,397
NC Cases Hospitalized: 514
NC Deaths: 507
Faces of the Frontlines Campaign
Most of you recall the work we did in partnership with the 7 LME/MCOs and the Providers Council to create a shared media platform that we titled CareForNC. We continue to #CareForNC in our social media posts and hope that you will continue to do the same as well.
The CareForNC is launching a COVID-19 campaign during May and June to recognize and honor the MH/DD/SA, child welfare and juvenile justice front line workers who have placed themselves, and their families, at-risk to continue serving their clients during the pandemic. Unfortunately, most people don't recognize the behavioral health, I/DD, Substance Use Disorder and child welfare work as "frontline workers" and it is important to change that perception. We work amongst healthcare warriors every day in our field and we are asking you to send in photos and short videos we can share to help our state and communities see the many faces of frontline workers!
These images will be used in our CareForNC COVID-19 Campaign: #FacesOfTheFrontline. The focus of this campaign is to tell our story - that our providers are on the front lines as well as physical health providers during this pandemic. The photos and videos submitted will be put together by a group of the LME/MCO public relations staff and posted on our CareForNC Facebook and Twitter site. We strongly encourage all your agencies to repost on your individual sites the CareForNC posts AND structure similar posts on your own website showing the many #FacesOfTheFrontline!!! Be sure to use one or all the hashtags listed below on your agency posts.
- #FacesoftheFrontlines
- #NCHeroes
- #CareforNC
- #TogetherOnTheFrontLine
If you do not have a google account to use the Google drive, you can email your pictures and videos to
carefornc@gmail.com.
Many video attachments may be too large to send via email. In that case, please upload your videos to YouTube privately, Dropbox, or use WeTransfer and send a link to the CareForNC email so we can download the file. Be sure to include:
- Your Name
- Organization name
- County or counties you serve
- Email
- Description of Content
- Any additional information
Below are some links to provide you additional information to help you create your own #FacesOfTheFronline posts and for video and picture submissions to CareForNC.
Thank Legislators for their Support
Please let legislators know how much you appreciate the COVID-19 liability protections extended to our members as well as the money for MH/DD/SA and foster care in the $1.57 billion budget passed on Monday. It is REALLY important they receive this positive feedback to understand the importance this funding has for you, and will influence their decision making when they take up the remaining $1.93 billion of federal COVID-19 relief funds. They plan to release the second COVID-19 bill at the end of May or early June. We have provided some draft language (depending on what type of service you provide you can choose what language to include) and ask that you please take just a minute to send a quick email to the legislators listed below. Please make this letter your own and include the different parts of the budget that impact you so that it is personalized.
Dear Representative (Senator) _______,
Thank you so much for providing COVID-19 liability protections for
(fill in what type of service you provide i.e. mental health, I/DD, SUD, child welfare). Every day our frontline staff work tirelessly to protect the health and safety of our clients, while placing themselves and their families at risk of the coronavirus. Information around testing, treatment, symptoms, etc are evolving weekly around COVID-19 and we are adapting quickly which makes the liability protections paramount to safeguard our agency.
We also want you to know how much we appreciate (
options to choose from below)
- the $20 million enhanced behavioral health capacity that was provided in the budget. This funding will help keep our clients stabilized in the community, rather than in a hospital when we need to keep as many hospital beds available as possible. There has been so much disruption to the utilization of behavioral health services from COVID-19 that every single dollar counts and this allocation is greatly needed.
- The $19 million to DHHS that includes support for residential settings due to the additional costs of COVID-19. The costs for hazard pay, cleaning supplies, personal protection equipment, staff training, additional cleaning procedures, etc are taking a financial toll on our budgets as we strive to provide healthy, quality and safe residential services.
- The $100 supplement payments for each child receiving foster care assistance payments. This funding is critical to avoid disruption for our children in care and help offset the increased costs from COVID-19.
As you prepare to allocate the remaining federal COVID-19 funding, we would greatly appreciate if you would continue to provide support for (
fill in what type of service you provide). As a result of the stressors from the pandemic and the economic challenges that individuals and families are facing, we expect to see a significant increase in the number of referrals for care over the next few months. We desperately need financial assistance to help keep our network of services viable to provide the support needed to maintain healthy communities.
NC Moves Into Phase 1 of COVID-19 Response
Governor Roy modified North Carolina's Stay At Home order and transition to Phase 1 of slowly easing certain COVID-19 restrictions effective Friday, May 8 at 5 pm. Certain businesses remain closed as the state continues battling COVID-19.
"COVID-19 is still a serious threat to our state, and Phase 1 is designed to be a limited easing of restrictions that can boost parts of our economy while keeping important safety rules in place," said Governor Cooper. "This is a careful and deliberate first step, guided by the data, and North Carolinians still must use caution while this virus is circulating."
"We must continue to protect our families and neighbors as we take this cautious step forward. When you leave your home, follow the three W's: Wear a face covering, wash your hands, and wait six feet apart," said Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
Today's Order removes the distinction between essential and non-essential businesses. Retail businesses are allowed to open at 50% capacity and will be required to direct customers to stand 6 feet apart, perform frequent cleanings, provide hand sanitizer when available, screen workers for symptoms and more. The Order allows people to leave their homes for commercial activity at any business that is open.
Certain businesses remain closed, including bars, personal care businesses, entertainment venues, and gyms. Restaurants may only continue to serve customers for drive-through, take out and delivery.
All workers at retail and other businesses are recommended to wear cloth face coverings. Teleworking is still encouraged for businesses that can practice it.
Though small outdoor gatherings will be allowed in Phase 1, gatherings of more than 10 people generally are still prohibited. The Order encourages cloth face coverings to be worn when outside the home and in contact with others. Everyone who uses a face covering should adhere to this guidance without fear of profiling or bias.
During Phase 1, childcare facilities will be open to serve families of parents who are working or looking for work. These centers will be required to follow strict cleaning protocols. Summer day camps can operate in compliance with NC DHHS guidelines.
Upcoming State Cuts in Response to COVID-19 Economic Hit
The negative impact to county and state revenue due to COVID-19 is estimated to create between a $3.5 to $4 billion budget shortfall. Governor Cooper has already noted that we will have to have fiscal cuts to Divisions in our next state budget to make a balanced budget as required by our state constitution. The state's rainy day fund of $1.2 billion won't be enough to offset the shortfall. While we don't know how much DHHS and other divisions will be asked to cut out of their budget at this point, we know other states have already notified their health and human service divisions to find cuts upward of 20 - 35%.
DMV Renewals
One of the NC legislative coronavirus relief bills Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law Monday adds five months to the expiration date of any license, permit, registration or other credential issued by DMV and waives all fees, fines or penalties for not complying with the old date. Motor vehicle tax payments and inspection deadlines are also delayed to match the new expiration dates. The extension applies to any DMV credential that expires on or after March 1 and before Aug. 1.
Unemployment Claims
North Carolina has surpassed the 1 million threshold for individual unemployment insurance benefit claims this week. There have been just under 1.01 million applications filed since March 15. As of Monday morning, 20.3% of the 4.97 million North Carolinians listed in the state's workforce as of mid-March have filed a unemployment claim. The Division of Employment Security has paid out $1.27 billion in state and federal unemployment insurance.
North Carolina is the fifth-hardest hit state for unemployment since the pandemic began. NC saw claims increase 3,833% for April 2020 compared to April 2019.
School Start
The coronavirus pandemic closed North Carolina schools and forced students to online learning for the remainder of the school year. To help offset some of the lost school days, the NC legislative COVID-19 relief bills passed this week changed the school calendar so that the next school year will start on Aug. 17, a week earlier than normal, and end no later than June 11, 2021.
Virus Data
NC DHHS will receive $25 million to expand COVID-19 testing in the legislative budget but that funding comes with strings attached. To receive the money, DHHS will need to begin tracking and then release the following data:
- The number of positive and negative COVID-19 tests.
- Information about vendors providing those tests, including the cost of a test.
- Recovery rates.
- Hospital discharges, including the underlying conditions of COVID-19 patients.
- "Comprehensive reporting" on deaths, including percentage of patients diagnosed with severe conditions prior to contracting the virus, as well as what conditions deaths were attributed to.
Session Plans
Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, THE NEWS & OBSERVER, and THE INSIDER, 5/02/20
House Speaker Tim Moore said that over the next two weeks, the House COVID-19 committee would continue to meet and that the House would return on May 18 for a "normal" session. He said proxy voting would end, which means more House members would be in the chamber at once. Moore said rules about access to the Legislative Building would be reassessed at that point. Last week, only lawmakers, staff and credentialed press were allowed inside. Moore told reporters on Thursday that during the time lawmakers are gone, they'll see how things go with the state reopening and people going back to work.
Moore said action on May 18 will be largely coronavirus-related, and even with in-person meetings, some social distancing may continue. "We'll probably need to spread out," he said. "We have some very large committee rooms that we can use if we need to. We can even use this chamber as a committee room." Moore also reassured Rep. Yvonne Holley, D-Wake, that lawmakers will be allowed to wear masks if they choose
Reopening Malls
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 5/02/20
Several major shopping malls in North Carolina are expected to reopen on the same day Gov. Roy Cooper's COVID-19 stay-at-home order is scheduled to end. The News & Observer reports that Simon Property Group announced that it plans to reopen the SouthPark and Concord Mills malls and Charlotte Premium Outlets on May 8. Simon is the largest mall operator in the U.S. Its other North Carolina property, Carolina Premium Outlets in Smithfield, is also set to open May 8. The planned reopenings are based on "current state and/or local stay-at-home or closure orders, which are subject to change," according to a statement on Simon's website.
The mall operator said all employees will be required to wear masks and take hand-washing breaks. The malls will also limit entrances, hours and the number of people in the buildings. Chairs in dining areas will be removed, and drinking fountains and play areas will be closed. Shoppers will be encouraged to wear masks or facial coverings while shopping, and to frequently wash or sanitize their hands
Visitor Restrictions
Sarah Ovaska, NC HEALTH NEWS, 5/06/20
Several disability rights groups in the state argue that hospitals' visitor restrictions violate basic civil rights provisions that should allow people with intellectual or developmental disabilities access to their caregivers, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Spokespeople for Wake Forest Baptist indicated that they could not comment on specific cases but the hospital does "make exceptions for a number of different circumstances" and staff is committed to providing compassionate care.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended much of how the state's health care systems operate, initially delaying everything but the most essential surgeries as health care providers responded to the spread of the dangerous and highly contagious pathogen. Hospitals in North Carolina and elsewhere have enacted visitor restrictions to try to prevent the spread of the disease. That means more patients are alone, although access has been given to those deemed essential such as parents or guardians for pediatric patients, as well as allowing the birth partner of a woman in labor to be by her side.
But pushed aside in some instances have been the caregivers of those with disabilities, both adults and children, said John Nash, executive director of the Arc of North Carolina, an advocacy group for those with intellectual disabilities. He has heard of four instances of caregivers in different parts of the state being denied access to their disabled loved ones in North Carolina hospitals and believes there are many more instances that he and other advocates haven't heard about. He believes this violates long-held principles outlined in the landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws including the CARES Act, the recently passed COVID-19 stimulus bill. "This is not just a request," Nash said. "This is a part of a person's civil rights."
NCCARE360 Network
Vidant Health, the Greenville-based nonprofit health care system that serves 1.4 million people across 29 counties in Eastern North Carolina, is now a part of NCCARE360 network. Vidant joins Greensboro-based Cone Health and Raleigh-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals on the statewide web-based platform that is attempting to eliminate barriers to the delivery of social support services like housing, food and medical care. Vidant Health is integrating its electronic health records system, Epic, with NCCARE360's database of social service providers so clinicians, case managers and other staff are able to connect patients directly to the community resources they need.
NCCARE360 has also recruited 19 additional counties to its platform, bringing the total number of counties on board to 69 as of Tuesday. The newest counties are Avery, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Caswell, Duplin, Greene, Harnett, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, McDowell, Mitchell, Onslow, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Wayne and Yancey
