An action plan for emerging from COVID-19

April 8, 2021
We’re back and feeling refreshed. We hope you got to spend some time outdoors—and if you’re vaccinated, maybe even see your family or friends. Today, we look at a new report on how we can strengthen state-level health care systems and recent environment and…
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We’re back and feeling refreshed. We hope you got to spend some time outdoors—and if you’re vaccinated, maybe even see your family or friends. Today, we look at a new report on how we can strengthen state-level health care systems and recent environment and infrastructure news that highlights the important role of biotech. (779 words, 3 minutes, 53 seconds)

 

An action plan for emerging from COVID-19

 
 

After everyone’s vaccinated and the immediate threat of the virus wanes, we must rebuild our economies and societies—and this must include strengthening national and state health care systems. A new report co-published by BioNJ, BIO’s New Jersey affiliate, provides recommendations for how we can get there. 

Published by BioNJ in partnership with the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute,Emerging from COVID-19: An Action Plan for A Healthier State was released by the New Jersey COVID-19 Work Group, comprised of individuals working across all levels of the state’s health care system.

The report provides 24 policy recommendations in four key areas of focus:

  1. Creating and supporting a resilient and diverse health care workforce for the future.
  2. Increasing support for alternative delivery of care and payment models.
  3. Promoting public policies that address social determinants of health and can lead to greater health equity.
  4. Revitalizing and reorganizing our public health infrastructure.

The pandemic “highlighted and exacerbated” health inequities—which are “unacceptable,” said Debbie Hart, President and CEO of BioNJ, during a press conference for the report's release yesterday. 

A resilient health care workforce must reflect the diversity of the state, said Linda J. Schwimmer, President and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. The report emphasizes the importance of analyzing data.

Learn what BIO’s doing to ensure the biotech workforce reflects the diversity of the patients we serve.

On the more positive side, the pandemic “swept away barriers” to the use of telehealth and remote monitoring of clinical trials, said Hart. These innovative modes of care should continue to be expanded and explored to improve and expedite access to care.

This report is being published as the New Jersey Legislature is determining funding allocations in the state budget,which has more money than expected. Hopefully, this report will highlight the importance of funding for the health care system, with the goals of the report in mind. 

Read the full report.

 

More Health Care News: 

AP: Biden makes all adults eligible for a vaccine on April 19
“‘Let me be deadly earnest with you: We aren’t at the finish line. We still have a lot of work to do. We’re still in a life and death race against this virus,’ Biden said in remarks at the White House.” 

Barron’s (Opinion): The COVID technologies that could revolutionize healthcare
mRNA and diagnostic technology can help us close gaps in healthcare, writes Rahul Dhanda, President and CEO of Sherlock Biosciences.

 
 
 
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In Memoriam: John C. Martin

 
 

We're mourning John C. Martin, former CEO and chairman of BIO member Gilead Sciences, Inc. He passed away on March 30 in Palo Alto, California.  

Dr. Martin's "scientific vision and leadership helped transform the lives of millions of patients and shape Gilead into the company that it is today," says the statement from the company. Under his leadership, Gilead developed a single-pill HIV treatment and a cure for hepatitis C, as the Wall Street Journal explains.

Our thoughts are with his loved ones and everyone in the industry who worked with him and were inspired by his vision.




 
 
 
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The big role for biotech

 
 

From addressing climate change to protecting endangered marine ecosystems, biotech will continue to play an important role in our biggest challenges. Here’s some news you might have missed over the past week.

Over the past week, Washington’s been talking about infrastructure. President Biden released a $2 trillion infrastructure plan, which will have a focus on transportation infrastructure and addressing climate change and racial inequity

The plan has mixed reactionsbut wherever things land on infrastructure, it's important any proposal take the role of biotech into account. 

Biotech already offers solutions to ensure our infrastructure addresses the climate crisis, from low-carbon fuels and biobased materials and manufacturing, to One Health solutions that can ensure we’re better prepared for the next pandemicAs we’ve said, we need streamlined and expedited regulatory pathways for new technology, support for scaling up biorefineries and biobased manufacturing, and incentives for adoption. 

Meanwhile, several states are considering low carbon fuel standards (LCFS), which would provide certainty for the industry by incentivizing the development of these fuels and cleaning up the air—read the latest developments

Biotech can help protect marine ecosystems, too. Synthetic biology is protecting sharks and aquaculture supply chains, as SynbioBeta explains

The bottom line? We need science to achieve our climate and economic goals. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan spoke to Bloomberg Green about the importance of science in achieving our policy goals—and having scientists in government agencies

Want to know more? Read how biotech can help us meet our climate and agriculture policy goals.

 
 
 
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President Biden’s Thursday: President Biden, VP Harris, and AG Merrick Garland will deliver remarks on gun violence prevention at 11:45 AM ET. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm will join a press briefing at 12:30 PM ET. ICYMI: Biden tapped Gayle Smith, a former administrator of USAID who led President Obama’s Ebola response, to lead vaccine diplomacy.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: While we were out, the Biden administration and Democrats have been calling for a “global minimum tax that would apply to multinational corporations, regardless of where they locate their headquarters,” reported The New York Times.

 
 
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