LABEOC Update, 27 March 2020

LABEOC Update, 27 March 2020

As of noon (12:00 PM) today, there were 2,746 reported cases in Louisiana, 119 deaths associated with the virus and 773 persons hospitalized (270 on ventilators). More information here.

FEMA Study on Grocery Industry. During the FEMA National BEOC conference call today, they briefed the initial results of their study of the New York City food supply chain. It showed that the grocery industry was able to adapt remarkably to the increased demands on supply and there was no evidence that it could not be sustained. The only variable that could impact the ability to weather this crisis would be increases in employee absenteeism due to illness, fatigue, or fear of infection at work.

Opportunities for Business with the Federal Government.

• To sell medical supplies or equipment to the federal government, please submit a price quote under the COVID-19 PPE and Medical Supplies Request for Quotation. Full details can be found here. This solicitation requires registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) in order to be considered for award, pursuant to applicable regulations and guidelines. Register here. Registration must be "ACTIVE" at the time of award. 
• If you have medical supplies or equipment to donate, please provide us details on what you are offering through our online medical supplies and equipment form
• If you are interested in doing business with FEMA and supporting the response to COVID-19 with your company' non-medical goods and/or services, please submit your inquiry to the Department of Homeland Security's Procurement Action Innovative Response (PAIR) team at DHSIndustryLiaison@hq.dhs.gov
• In addition to these avenues to help, licensed healthcare professionals that want to volunteer can get information on eligibility, view credential levels by clinical competency and register with the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Help Desk https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/disaster-help-desk-business

Louisiana Economic Development Business Hotline. For COVID-19 business questions, LED may be reached at LEDbiz@la.gov or via the toll-free hotline, (833) 457-0531. The COVID-19 hotline is staffed from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Be aware that high call volumes might result in delays. Callers are encouraged to keep trying, leave a voice mail or contact LED via email.

Request for Medical Volunteers.  https://covid-19lavolunteers.org. See the official request from Governor Edwards here