Page 30 - CANNABIS NEWS FLORIDA JUNE 2020

COVID-19 Business Continuity Task Force:

Helping Companies Continue to Operate Successfully and Safely

BY DANIEL CASCIATO Martinez Group communica- says Conroy. “The leadership of the com-
tions experts who can provide panies will have one hour of access per
A new task force has been formed in strategic planning: counsel, week to an infectious disease physician
the region to help guide companies to media relations management, who will counsel them on their specific
continue to reopen and operate safely, internal and external commu- needs.”
advise them should there be a closure, nications and much more. Depending on the scope of the compa-
and provide overall rapid response pro- “We are pleased to be able to ny, they may also need some help with
tocols and communication, all in the offer our clients and business- amending their HR policy or assistance
midst of the ongoing coronavirus pan- es across the country this com- with their emergency preparedness plan-
demic’s effect on commerce. prehensive team to help cor- ning, according to Brackin. “The fact
The Conroy Martinez Group, a full- porations with their continu- that we’re about to go into hurricane sea-
service, bilingual public relations, mar- ity planning post COVID-19,” son at the same time that this is going on
keting and social media agency, has C.L. Conroy Wayne Brackin says Conroy. requires an additional level of considera-
teamed with KIDZ Medical Services, a The task force will provide tion.”
Florida-wide group of 200 doctors, tations as well as handling requests from short and long-term strategic communi- The task force will offer customized
including infectious disease specialists the media for opinion and commentary cations counsel, medical strategy and business recovery COVID-19 Programs,
and veteran healthcare executives to cre- around the infectious disease process,” expertise and business direction related offered in three and six-month packages,
ate the COVID-19 Business Recovery & says Brackin. “Partly due to that media to COVID-19, and prepare business lead- which are built on fact-based, accurate,
Continuity Task Force. exposure we started to get requests from ers for questions from employees, cus- and reliable medical and communica-
“Now that businesses are reopening, business associates who were curious tomers, investors and other audiences tions expertise and experience managing
they need continuity planning. We real- and worried about what they should be around: short- and long-term risk across indus-
ized that we needed medical expertise as doing next. They were confused by the Keeping employees safe and healthy tries.
part of the equation for advising our mixed signals coming from the local, • Implementing new health screening Companies that are interested will
existing and future clients,” says C.L. state and federal governments; specifical- processes receive a team of medical and communi-
Conroy, APR, President of the firm. ly, confusion over which guidelines to • Supporting mental health concerns cations specialists to help them plan for
“What do they do if there is a flare up in follow.” Ensuring workplace safety a successful continuity plan.
their company, how do you handle sick Fortunately, Brackin notes, they had • Adapting day-to-day work habits, “We’re pretty unique in being able to
employees, what new policies do you four well-trained, board certified infec- workspaces, and cleanliness/sanitation offer this and our desire is to sincerely
need to add to your company? These are tious disease physicians on staff. • Establishing strategies for re-opening help companies continue to operate safe-
the kind of questions we are seeing,” she “We were consulting as a professional after receiving government and medical ly for the sake of their employees and
said. courtesy to our colleagues on one hand, clearance (safely doing so for employees, customers, now and in the future,” says
Conroy contacted Wayne Brackin, the and we were also performing a good customers, patients, students, clients, Conroy. “That is game changing in light
CEO of KIDZ Medical Services, who she community service by having these vendors, subcontractors) of this ongoing pandemic.”
knew from the many years he spent at physicians with credibility talk about the Effective internal and external com-
Baptist Health South Florida. After coronavirus to the media and public in a munications around new protocols and For more information, visit
reconnecting, Conroy and Brackin had a way that was reassuring,” he adds. precautionary measures, health regula- The Conroy Martinez Group at
discussion about joining forces to help The task force includes these four tions, and workforce and workplace www.conroymartinez.com and follow
Florida and U.S. companies safely experienced infectious disease doctors changes. them on Twitter and Instagram
reopen and continue to operate with the and top level health care executives from “Some of the main questions that @ConroyMartinez and Facebook at
input of professional infectious disease KIDZ Medical Services who will provide we’ve been hearing from local businesses www.facebook.com/
physicians. medical and scientific advice on business are what are all the precautions they TheConroyMartinezGroup/.
“We were already doing many consul- recovery plans along with the Conroy need to take and the protocols to follow,”

Baptist Health Physicians Successfully Treat First

Three COVID-19 Critically Ill Patients with RESTEM’s

Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells

RESTEM, a leading-edge biotechnol- The patients who received this treat- “These patients have improved their nologist and director of critical care at
ogy company, and Baptist Health South ment showed reduction of their oxygen lung status much more quickly than Baptist Hospital of Miami.
Florida, announced three COVID-19 requirement from 100% to less than patients treated with other experimen- RESTEM’s cells are grown from
patients with acute respiratory distress 50% within days of the infusion, tal therapies,” added Dr. Koehne, who umbilical cord tissue by a proprietary
syndrome (ARDS) are the first to suc- accompanied by significant reduction is also professor and chairperson of the process and reduce inflammation,
cessfully be treated in the U.S. with in levels of various key circulating Department of Translational Medicine thereby allowing tissue regeneration
umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells inflammatory markers. at the Herbert Wertheim College of and healing to occur.
under an emergency approval from the “The remarkable ability for these Medicine (HWCOM) at Florida The RESTEM ULSC have also been
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). cells to mitigate inflammatory process- International University (FIU). cleared by the FDA for testing their
Baptist Health physicians, Guenther es holds great promise for COVID-19 Specialists at HWCOM spearheaded healing properties in the autoimmune
Koehne, M.D., Ph.D., and Javier Pérez- patients as well as for people with this collaborative effort between acade- conditions of Polymyositis and
Fernández, M.D., safely administered many other illnesses,” said Guenther mia, Baptist Health and RESTEM. Dermatomyositis. Patients will also be
the new treatment to patients through Koehne, MD, PhD, deputy director and “Our preliminary results show that able to participate in this clinical trial
intravenous infusions of RESTEM’s chief of blood & marrow transplant at therapy with these cells could be a both at the Miami Cancer Institute and
experimental umbilical cord lining- Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist game-changer in COVID-19,” stated at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, South
derived stem cells (ULSC). Health. Dr. Javier Perez-Fernandez, pulmo- Dakota.

South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com June 2020 11