Public Health

Companies Work Together to Get Face Masks and Sanitizer to Truckers

July 6, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, truckers are still at the front lines, working hard to get necessary supplies and food items to stores and families. Because of this, many groups and businesses are coming together to get face masks and hand sanitizer to as many of these truck drivers, and other essential workers, as possible.

In Portland, Oregon, Shine Distillery & Grill was worried about staying afloat when the state’s governor, Kate Brown, ordered Oregon’s bars and restaurants to cease on-site dining. Owner Jon Poteet, along with his staff of 25, decided to find a way to stay in business as well as make a difference for those working during this time of pandemic.

Shine had begun using his distillery to make, sell, and donate hand sanitizer before the shelter-in-place order was implemented. Now, Shine’s hand sanitizer, with 80% alcohol by volume, sells for $1 per ounce and is made from the alcohol he would usually use for vodka.

“We had two lines out the door, one for seating in our restaurant and the other for hand sanitizer,” Poteet said about the start of the COVID-19 era. “I realized that this was a game changer.”

So far, Shine has sold 4,000 bottles of sanitizer and has donated thousands more to individuals, essential workers, and community organizations.

“Anybody who walks in the door gets three ounces, whether they ask for it or not,” Poteet said.

Also making and distributing hand sanitizer is Protective Insurance and customer distillery Hotel Tango of Indianapolis, along with American Trucking Associations. The team effort has produced 550 gallons of hand sanitizer with 55-gallon drums being distributed to trucking companies and truck stops.

Hotel Tango, like Shine, had to close due to COVID-19 restrictions, but found a new way to channel its distillery efforts through hand sanitizer.

“We are distributing the barrels across different areas, so all truck drivers–not just ATA members–can get sanitizer,” said Elisabeth Barna, American Trucking Associations executive vice president for industry affairs. “The barrels have a pump on them, and drivers can bring their own bottles and refill them.”

This sanitizer became available in late April. Nick Ladig, chief sales officer of Hotel Tango, said the company is working to produce around 600 gallons of hand sanitizer each week.

“It was important for us to ensure that our business–which isn’t a necessity in the daily routine–could provide something for those that don’t have an option but to keep things going and moving, like the trucking and medical industry,” he explained. “They are truly essential businesses. We felt it was a duty to convert our production facility over and help with the supply. There’s a lot of stuff being moved across the country right now–they’re on the front lines.”

Additionally, many other groups within the trucking industry have come together to distribute thousands of free face masks to smaller trucking firms.

“We wanted to do something to help these smaller trucking companies,” Barna said. “The smaller carriers have been calling us, and they’re in need of masks. All of these carriers are doing a great job.”

These KN95 masks have been distributed by the ATA Litigation Center, Trucking Moves America Forward, the American Transportation Research Institute, and the Trucking Cares Foundation. The groups recently distributed 4,000 of these face masks to small firms, an effort that is part of a shipment of 50,000 masks procured by ATA. The rest of the masks will be sold to trucking companies at cost, in packages of 100.

Because of high demand, another 50,000 masks were ordered shortly after the first order.

“These are critical supplies, and more drivers are wearing and needing masks,” Barna said. “We know a lot of companies are scrambling to get personal protective equipment to their drivers. This will help. We’ve had a lot of people ordering them, from 200 to 10,000.”

Dan Horvath, ATA Vice President for Safety Policy, explained that these masks will help industry workers continue their duties, especially in states that have required everyone to wear face coverings in public.

“A lot of these state regulations that are coming into place, or county jurisdictions, are requiring face coverings,”said Horvath. “While these masks are not a foolproof way to keep the driver from getting sick, or infecting someone else, they are at least complying with the new rules coming up concerning face coverings.”

U-Haul Refuses to Hire Nicotine Users

January 30, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Starting February 1st, U-Haul will no longer bring any nicotine users onboard.

In a recent announcement, the moving and truck rental company said it will now refuse to hire nicotine users in the 21 states which legally allow that decision–citing the desire for a “healthier workforce” as the reason.

This nicotine-free policy is possible in states without protections for the rights of smokers. However, it won’t apply to employees hired prior to February.

In a news release, company chief of staff Jessica Lopez said U-Haul will be working toward fostering an overall new “culture of wellness.”

The states in which the new policy will take affect include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Prospective applicants in these states, which allow companies to choose not to hire job seekers using nicotine, should expect to find information on the anti-nicotine policy on their applications and to be questioned about their use of nicotine, U-Haul said. In states where testing is allowed, applicants may also have to undergo nicotine screening to be hirable.

U-Haul said it is striving to encourage wellness among its employees, and is working on a new fitness center in one of its Arizona locations, as well as multiple wellness and fitness programs.

The company currently employs over 30,000 people throughout North America and will work toward helping its current nicotine-using workers with cessation assistance.

“In our continued efforts to enhance our wellness program and decrease health care costs, we have become more aware of the medical side effects of using nicotine and tobacco products,” said Lopez.

These products include vaping tools and e-cigarettes, in addition to traditional cigarettes, according to the policy. U-Haul company officials have also explained their inspiration from hospitals and other health-conscious businesses which are implementing nicotine-free hiring methods.

Alaska Airlines has had a no-nicotine policy in place since 1985 in order to help keep health care costs and health consequences lower.

U-Haul’s decision to follow suit comes soon after President Trump signed legislation raising the minimum age of those purchasing any tobacco or vaping products from 18 to 21.

However, while public health experts may be pushing for smoke-free lifestyles, they are torn on whether or not companies and employees will benefit from the new policy.

Michael Siegel, professor of community health services at the Boston University School of Public Health, said that U-Haul’s policy is misguided in terms of its approach to furthering wellness, as those who are addicted to nicotine may have trouble quitting and opt for nicotine-infused gum, patches, or lozenges. Nicotine replacement treatment is able to appear in nicotine-screening urine tests.

“Essentially, what that means is if you quit smoking and start using nicotine patches or nicotine gum or electronic cigarettes, you are not eligible to work for that company if you’re using nicotine replacement products,” he explained.

According to a survey by the Food and Drug Administration, around 7 percent of smokers can successfully quit smoking for at least six months to a year; however, the Mayo Clinic found that over 30 percent of smokers can quit fully with the help of a nicotine-replacement product.

“There are a lot of vices out there, and [these workers] have just chosen this one thing,” said Siegel. “[Banning it] is just kind of inappropriate.”

Lynn Kozlowski, University of Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions professor, wants U-Haul to note that some nicotine-infused products are more harmful than others–like cigarettes and cigars as opposed to smokeless tobacco.

Products like smokeless tobacco and nicotine products for vaping are less likely to contaminate public workplaces or affect work performance. Banning all nicotine products together causes U-Haul to look as if its policy is based on morals rather than health, Kozlowski argued.

“I bet if U-Haul were to look at [its] corporate office, [it has] a coffeepot going most of the time and people addicted to caffeine,” he said.

This begs the question, where does a trucking company–or any employer–draw the line between raising reasonable health standards and being intrusive?

According to Kevin Schroth, associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, the company’s new rule could be deemed unfair to those who have fallen victim to the tobacco industry’s strong advertising techniques–which are aimed heavily at young people.

As of now, said Kozlowski, U-Haul’s policy announcement does not have nearly enough clarity for full scrutiny.

Nursing Home Care: Five Things You Should Know

October 10, 2014 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Courtesy of Integracp, Wikipedia Commons

Quality living has been the topic of debate lately in Illinois, where, according to Families for Better Care, Inc., a citizen advocacy group based in Tallahassee, Florida, nursing home care ranks one of the lowest of the low. For the second consecutive year Illinois has received a failing grade from Families for Better Care, dropping two spots in the national rankings from 42 in 2013 to 44 in 2014.

The Land of Lincoln scored failing or below average grades in 5 of 8 categories, placing lowest in direct care staffing hours per resident (47th), the percentage of facilities with deficiencies (44th), and the percentage of facilities with severe deficiencies (39th), according to the report.

“Illinois’s ranking shows that nursing homes continued to be riddled with problems,” said Families for Better Care executive director Brian Lee in a statement. “The state remains among the worst in hiring enough staff to care for residents.”

As Lee notes, the hiring of qualified workers appears to be one of many glaring problem of Illinois’s poor performance. Local lawmakers are making attempts to compensate for lack of staff and substandard facilities by adopting newer and more technology-based methods to improve its national standing. And one prospective law, with roots in Illinois, hopes to extend its reach nationwide. Below are five laws and prospective laws you should be aware of:

1.) Put a Registered Nurse in the Nursing Home Act
There are roughly 1,200 long-term care facilities in the state of Illinois, serving more than 100,000 residents. Those are dense numbers. Over the summer, Illinoi Rep. Jan Schakowsky introduced the “Put a Registered Nurse in the Nursing Home Act,” which would require nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities that receive Medicare and/or Medicaid reimbursement to have a direct-care Registered Nurse on duty 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

2.) Video Cameras in Nursing Homes
The latest proposal from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, would allow video cameras and audio recording devices to be installed inside the rooms of residents, a measure that hopes to curb deficiencies and staff abuse by creating a more transparent environment. The proposal —with remnants of earlier bill that failed to muster bipartisan support in the past — hopes to be a game changer in the quest to protect resident’s rights and their safety.

3.) Illinois Department of Public Health Ombudsman Program
In August, Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill expanding the Ombudsman Program, which allows residents of long-term care facilities and their families to file grievances through an online portal at the Illinois Department of Health website. Starting January 1, 2015, older adults and persons with disabilities ages 18 to 59 who live in a community setting will receive the same advocacy services as people who reside in nursing homes.

4.) Pathways to Community Living Program
In Illinois, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services partners with the Department of Human Services, the Department on Aging, and the Illinois Housing Development Authority for the Pathways to Community Living Program, a subset of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2006. Under the Pathways initiative, the state has increased community services and rebalanced the state’s long term care systems by providing appropriate, person-centered services for individuals interested in transitioning from institutional settings to qualified home and community based settings.

5.) The Nursing Home Care Act
The Illinois General Assembly adopted the Nursing Home Care Act (NHCA) in 1979, a law that gives nursing home residents complete “power of attorney” should they choose to file suite against a home and/or owner, along with outlining several laws defining residents’ rights. This includes but is not limited to: 1.) The right to religious freedom. 2.) The right to refuse treatment. 3.) The right to be cared for by their own doctor under their own health insurance or expense.