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Trends continue to move in the right direction... keep up the great work Florida
The CDC talks "The Importance of Reopening America’s Schools this Fall"
Brand new videos and social media content for you to share and some news you can use from Agencies and Departments working hard for Florida
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CDC: The Importance of Reopening America’s Schools this Fall
As families and policymakers make decisions about their children returning to school, it is important to consider the full spectrum of benefits and risks of both in-person and virtual learning options. Parents are understandably concerned about the safety of their children at school in the wake of COVID-19. The best available evidence indicates if children become infected, they are far less likely to suffer severe symptoms.
Death rates among school-aged children are much lower than among adults. At the same time, the harms attributed to closed schools on the social, emotional, and behavioral health, economic well-being, and academic achievement of children, in both the short- and long-term, are well-known and significant. Further, the lack of in-person educational options disproportionately harms low-income and minority children and those living with disabilities. These students are far less likely to have access to private instruction and care and far more likely to rely on key school-supported resources like food programs, special education services, counseling, and after-school programs to meet basic developmental needs.[4]
Aside from a child’s home, no other setting has more influence on a child’s health and well-being than their school.
But Azar said there should be no debate about the need to get the economy moving again: “Reopen we must, because it’s not health versus the economy. It’s actually health versus health. There are serious health consequences to keeping us shut down, whether it’s the [suicide] rates or if it cardiac procedures not being received, cancer screenings, [or] paediatric vaccinations declining. All of these are critical health needs that are part of reopening the economy.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four young adults say they have contemplated committing suicide in the past month because of the pandemic.
The CDC study analyzed 5,412 survey respondents between June 24 and 30. Of all the respondents, 10.7 percent reported harboring suicidal thoughts in the previous 30 days, while 25.5 percent of those between 18 to 24 reported doing so. Additionally, almost 31 percent of self-reported, unpaid caregivers reported contemplating suicide, and 22 percent of essential workers.
Dr. Melanie McGraw Piasecki is both a pediatrician and a mother of three who wants to see kids back in school after the COVID-19 lockdown that shuttered classrooms in the spring and is on the cusp of doing so this fall across the country.
“My children did not have a particularly great experience in the spring, particularly my youngest, who was in first grade at the time,” Piasecki, of Charlotte, North Carolina, said Wednesday at a White House event. “I think the online learning for the young ones, it just doesn’t work.”
Her children’s school is moving to a hybrid model, a mix of in-classroom and remote learning.
“In terms of being a pediatrician, I just think the science is so clear that the risk of death or hospitalization for children with this virus is so, so low,” Piasecki said. “We know the risks of missing school are catastrophic. We probably don’t even know how high they are yet, and they cover so many different areas.”
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COViD-19 by the numbers | COVID -19 Fatalities
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The Mortality Trendline - Data Based on Date of Death
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Demonstrates clealry that we must protect our seniors but that danger of COVID - 19 is very low for those 65 and under
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ICUs and hospital beds by the numbers | Current as of 8/14/2020
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22.3%
% of ICU Beds Available Statewide
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43.23% % of Pediatric ICU Beds Available Statewide
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26.62% % of Available Hospital Beds Statewide
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Governor DeSantis Addresses Florida
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Players, Coaches, and Athletes Agree #WeWantToPlay
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Download any of these social media graphics below for your personal, business, or agency use.
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Department of Children and Families
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They’re called “deaths of despair.” Besides the rising death toll from the coronavirus itself, Washington’s top mental health czar warned that related deaths from drug overdoses, suicide and alcohol could easily top 150,000. Add to that the predicted spike in intimate partner violence, including spouse and child abuse, and you have a public health crisis that can’t be ignored.
These harsh realities are the compelling reason that federal dollars are flowing into a new public outreach and education campaign through the Florida Department of Children and Families, which has a deadlined RFP to get the work done. That’s so timely and appropriate — a total no-brainer...
A of June 19, over three million items of PPE have been distributed, including N-95 and KN-95 masks, surgical masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and other critical protective items. Plus, through ongoing partnership with the Department of Health, DCF received a donation of cloth masks from Hanes, intended to supplement the current supply of PPE.
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Department of The Lottery
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Florida Department of Transportation
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USDOT awards infrastructure funds to two Tampa Bay cities
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Five cities in Florida were awarded a combined total of $27.8 million in federal infrastructure funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Two of those cities are right here in Tampa Bay. Wednesday afternoon, President Trump tweeted, "Good news for Florida! I'm awarding $27.8M from USDOT in federal infrastructure funds to five areas including Orlando, Jacksonville, Ft. Myers/Naples, St. Petersburg, and Tampa. Happy to support bus service for the people in beautiful Florida!"
Construction On New Northbound I-275 Lane At Kennedy Completed
TAMPA, FL — The Florida Department of Transportation announced that a new lane opened on northbound Interstate 275 this week, eliminating the merge condition just past Exit 39 to State Road 60/Kennedy Boulevard. Drivers can now stay in the lane that also exits to SR 60 to continue toward downtown Tampa. More changes are coming to improve traffic flow on the Exit 39 ramp.
United Airlines announced today it will add four new routes between Tampa and key markets in the Midwest and Northeast, providing additional options for travelers in and out of the Sunshine State. United is scheduled to launch new service to Boston, Cleveland and New York – LaGuardia on Nov. 6. Milwaukee is slotted to begin on Dec. 17.
Airlines Bring Back, Add Flights at SRQ Airport
JetBlue will add nonstop service to Newark, NJ (EWR) starting Aug. 6, a destination not previously served from SRQ by JetBlue. American Airlines will add nonstop flights to New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) airport starting July 11, a route not previously served by American Airlines at SRQ. American also plans to bring back service to Philadelphia (PHL) on July 3, as well as Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) and Washington D.C. (DCA) on July 7.
Frontier Airlines recently announced new nonstop flights to Chicago O’Hare (ORD), a new destination for the airline from SRQ. Delta Air Lines, SRQ’s largest carrier for business travelers, added a third daily flight to Atlanta (ATL) on June 11 and will add a fourth daily flight beginning July 2. United Airlines will continue to provide service to Chicago O’Hare (ORD). Allegiant, SRQ’s largest low-cost-carrier, will continue to provide a minimum of twice-weekly service to 13 destinations
Brightline Trains is already well on the way to completing a stop at Orlando International Airport, and now, a stop on Disney property could be in the near future. The high-speed rail, which is already up and running in South Florida, is laying the tracks and set to open a station at Orlando International Airport in 2022.
Brightline also has been in discussions with Disney about a potential stop on its property along its planned Orlando-to-Tampa route.mA Disney station would offer Florida's 126 million visitors and 21 million residents a transit option to the state’s most-visited attraction.
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Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
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There's some good news when it comes to the job market.
Fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, and this is the first time since the pandemic began that there were fewer than a million people in need of assistance. According to the Department of Labor, 963,000 people filed jobless claims the week ending Aug. 8. That's down from 1,191,000 the week ending August 1. Over the past few weeks, the number of first-time filers in Florida has been going down after a peak in July when bars were shut down. Last week there were 55,106 Floridians needing assistance. That was down 23,180 from the week ending August 1 of 78,286 claims.
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United bets on sun-seekers with new Florida flights United Airlines is making a play for Florida this fall and winter, a bet that sun-seekers from northern states will become a bright spot for the carrier as it faces a bleak outlook for international and corporate travel because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Chicago-based airline said Wednesday that it plans to add up to 28 nonstop flights to the Sunshine State from northern cities to four Florida airports. Flights from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Boston and Cleveland to Florida cities Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa are scheduled to start Nov. 6. United said that in December it will add nonstop flights to Fort Myers and Tampa from Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.
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Recently, AmeriCorps members with Goodwill Industries – Big Bend, Inc. delivered 300 COVID-19 care packages to elderly residents and individuals with disabilities who reside in the organization’s apartment complexes. The care packages included snacks, masks, cleaning products, hygiene products and flyers on how to keep safe during COVID-19.
Funding and support for Goodwill’s Goodworks AmeriCorps Program comes from Volunteer Florida, the Governor’s lead agency for volunteerism and service. Goodwill Industries – Big Bend, Inc. has engaged AmeriCorps members for over ten years. During their year of service, AmeriCorps members help individuals across the Florida Panhandle become self-sufficient through occupational skills training, career counseling and job search assistance.
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Department of Business and Professional Regulation
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DBPR offers online testing alternative for professional license exams
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation announced Tuesday it has partnered with Pearson Vue to provide an online alternative for professional license exams.
“With these online examination options, we will help more licensure candidates move forward with scheduling examinations and completing the licensure process, regardless of recent seating and spacing limitations that have been necessary to maintain safe testing environments,” said DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears. “These options are more than just a new choice of format – the capacity and convenience enabled through online testing will give hardworking Floridians the opportunity to get started in their occupations sooner, by a matter of months in some cases.” The online exams, which will be monitored in live time by a proctor, will be offered on a rolling schedule through Aug. 22 for the following professional license examinations:
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Department of Juvenile Justice
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Collaboration Through COVID: Serving Together Through a Global Pandemic Florida Council on Crime and Delinquency-The Councilor Summer 2020
A few short months ago, no one could have imagined just how much the world around us would change. While we began to learn more and prepare for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the great shift that would impact almost every aspect of our lives was something that could not have been predicted.
Even through a global pandemic, it is impossible for the criminal and juvenile justice systems to shut down completely. These systems, and the dedicated professionals that serve in them, would need to adapt quickly. At the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, our first priority was to keep the youth in our programs and the staff who care for them safe from this encroaching and unpredictable virus. We immediately began to modify our procedures and institute new ones to ensure that we were doing all we could to keep COVID-19 out of facilities, while doing our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community. Our facilities instituted pandemic plans in keeping with CDC guidelines, which included protocols on social distancing, group size limits, and how to handle a youth or staff that tests positive for COVID-19. Both staff and youth are utilizing personal protective equipment inside DJJ facilities and staff are screened daily prior to their shift, including answering screening questions and temperature checks. Youth are also screened before entering a juvenile detention center or if they are admitted to a residential commitment program. To minimize further community spread, youth who are released from a facility that has had any known staff or youth who have tested positive within the previous 20 days are tested for COVID-19. Our strategy in fighting against the virus had to be flexible due to the everchanging nature of this public health emergency.
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