People with Empathy Blog

Accounting for its population density and size, California has done relatively well in fending off the novel coronavirus disease, thanks to the commitment of the people of the state to stay home and take precautions. But California’s success is due, in no small part, to local and state health care authorities working together in response, and to the leadership of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom’s 83% approval rating for his COVID 19 response even outstrips the 79% approval rating of Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York. On Thursday, Gov. Newsom signed an executive order aimed at limiting administrative pain and cutting red tape while a statewide stay-at-home order is in effect. The governor’s order extends the expiration of drivers licenses by 60 days, allows businesses to meet the state’s environmental quality regulations through electronic filing, and suspends California’s 10-cent mandatory charge for paper or plastic bags provided by grocery stores since many local health departments ...

People with Empathy is excited to announce that we have partnered with Patientwing, a platform dedicated to connecting patients with clinical trial sponsors and sites, to help recruit individuals to currently ongoing COVID 19 clinical trials. Please visit covid19studies.org to find out how you can help. The dedicated site, launched by Patientwing, tracks all COVID 19 trials globally, and allows you to search for trials by geographical location, participant type, and more. Keep in mind that healthy, asymptomatic individuals are often eligible for study participation in addition to those who are symptomatic and/or those who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Patientwing's statement on launch, in part, is below: “Due to the large number of studies and volunteers needed, it is critical that we educate and help patients and volunteers find and enroll in appropriate studies. Additionally, it is going to be very difficult for researchers to find qualified participants,...

In response to appeals by People with Empathy and advocates statewide, California State authorities are now monitoring the stockpiling and shortage of certain medications in light of the COVID 19 pandemic keeping them from patients who need them for critical maintenance care, especially hydrochloroquine and chloroquine (brand name: Plaquenil), anti-malarial drugs used to treat lupus patients. Because of the advocacy we helped spur and the leadership provided by Assemblymember Evan Low, Assemblymember Kansen Chu, and Sen. Jim Beall, the California State Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) has informed state legislative staff and constituents that "patients who legitimately need hydroxychloroquine but are not being dispensed it should file a complaint for delay of therapy." Complaints can be filed with the California State Board of Pharmacy here . We encourage any patients who have been denied a refill or who have otherwise been unable to The full statement from the DCA...

People with Empathy has released an urgent appeal from our founders Christine Von Raesfeld and Spandan Chakrabarti to California Governor Gavin Newsom and state legislators to protect access to lifesaving treatments for chronic illness patients light of the COVID 19 outbreak, particularly hydrochloroquine (brand: Plaquenil) for lupus patients. We wrote , in part: We received particularly alarming news ... that Kaiser Permanente had sent notice to its members suffering from lupus that their treatment with hydroxychloroquine (brand name: Plaquenil) will be discontinued in order to preserve supplies for COVID 19 patients. Further, Kaiser noted in their notice to members that their prescriptions would not be filled even if their physician prescribed it. Patients were then “thanked” for their “sacrifice... that might save lives.” While in response to media reports Kaiser noted that it will make hydroxychloroquine available to both COVID 19 patients and lupus patients in critical cond...

WE NEED YOUR HELP ! With a shortage of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) throughout the country, we are seeing more doctors, nurses and other first responders resorting to buying and making their own. We've been told by RN's across the country that ER's and ICU's have priority on the limited PPE such as protective masks available and other departments are being left to fend for themselves, which is just not acceptable. As an organization just starting we would like to help but are limited on our resources, but what we do have is connection and empathy. We are asking anyone in the public with a supply of hand sanitizer, face mask or any type of PPE to kindly donate your excess to those who need it. Our Health Care workers and first responders desperately need them but please call before making a donation as different organizers and hospitals have different protocols. We are working on compiling a list of facilities that need PPE and volunteers willing to help here in...

People with Empathy is planning a series of educational material for both medical professionals as well as patients and caregivers throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic. The resource center can be found here . Sign up to help here . Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for ongoing updates as well. WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY Regardless of what anyone tells you, COVID-19 is NOT "just like the flu," and Yes, young people can get really, really sick from COVID-19. It has seeped into the public consciousness that the flu kills thousands of people every year, and so the coronavirus we are dealing with now is nothing more serious.  Here are the differences : The fatality rate from COVID-19 is  much  higher. The  seasonal flu kills 0.1% of those who become infected. Compare that with the estimated fatality rate of about 2% of those infected with the COVID-19 virus who will die. That is 20x as much. The COVID-19 coronavirus spreads much faster....