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News Flash: watch a 46 year-old woman blow out her birthday candles! If you think that’s not so special, consider that she had just been released from KP Irvine Medical Center…after being sedated and on a ventilator for 11 days during treatment for COVID-19. More about her remarkable recovery and triumphant departure from the hospital here. ^[2]

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Kaiser Permanente Southern California is now providing one level-1 face mask daily to employees in administrative and nonpatient-facing facilities throughout the region. Masks will be distributed at the facility entrance or by an assigned person on your floor (in multi-tenant leased facilities). Masking should be used in conjunction with all other preventive actions. Details in an RComm delivered to your email inbox, 4/17, 1:46pm.

Here4You is a new, free resource to help connect all Kaiser Permanente employees with support and other vital information during the COVID-19 crisis. Here4You ^[4] can help you access services for childcare, financial assistance, mental health and wellness, hotel accommodations, and our Employee Assistance Program ^[5]. Operators can also answer questions about the new enhanced benefits ^[6].
Here4You representatives are available daily from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific time at 877-457-4772, option 7. You can also email Here4You@kp.org ^[7].

• No sewing needed to make these homemade masks from fabric, t-shirts or bandanas. Instructions in English ^[8] or Spanish ^[9].
• Have a sewing machine? Watch this Kaiser Permanente easy video tutorial ^[10].

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We are truly awed and deeply appreciative of the tremendous commitment, expertise, and sacrifice shown by the people of Kaiser Permanente Southern California during the coronavirus pandemic. We recognize that these times create unique challenges. To help meet them, we are implementing supplemental benefits and pay programs, developed in partnership with our labor leaders.
These temporary COVID-19-related benefits will be available to physicians and employees actively in patient care environments. Part-time employees and per diem employees who work at least 20 hours per week are also eligible. Benefits include:

• Additional paid time off if you need to be away from work because you have tested positive for COVID-19
• Childcare grants for your school-age children or dependent disabled adult children while you are at work.
• Short-term housing near our medical centers and specialty hubs for certain situations.

For details, eligibility, and other information visit My HR ^[12] or Here4You ^[13]. Physicians will access these benefits through Permanente Human Resources Shared Services.

In a short video, Felicia Wong, MD, a psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente Irvine Medical Center, shares helpful advice for supporting older adults. These simple ideas can help ease concerns and raise the spirits of older loved ones, neighbors, and acquaintances. Watch the video ^[14].

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We’re proud to partner with Goodwill Southern California to provide more PPE for doctors, nurses and frontline employees throughout Southern California. Goodwill’s Assembly & Fulfillment team is making 300,000 face shields, a win-win project that will help fund the employment services that Goodwill provides and keep their team working during this challenging time.

Recent studies have shown that the novel coronavirus can spread between people in close proximity—for example, through speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently recommended wearing cloth face coverings in public settings, especially when social distancing is difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) and in areas of significant community-based transmission. Get info about making fabric coverings using t-shirts, bandanas, and other materials here ^[8], or watch this video ^[10].

• Hotel Discounts: Starting April 10, frontline health care workers who are exposed to or test positive for COVID-19 can find hotel rooms through the CalTravelStore. Rooms are provided at a discounted rate. Click here for information. ^[16]
• Marriott Discounts: Participating Marriott hotels are offering discounts for caregivers and support staff through June 30. Book directly through Marriott ^[17] using your personal credit card. Enter the promo code “QWO” under the “Special Rates” section (I.D. required at check-in). Additional details are available on KP’s National Travel Services site ^[18]. Note: employees will not be reimbursed for hotel costs.
• More Discounts: The AHA has compiled a long list of Discounts for First Responders and Health Care Workers ^[19]. Besides hotels, look for deals on cappuccinos, scrubs, and even gas.

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The coronavirus pandemic is the largest health challenge ever faced by Kaiser Permanente. But we are confident we can overcome it because of our people; their commitment to improving the health of our members and the communities we serve; and the “flattening the curve” measures we have all been taking. In the coming days and weeks, we expect a medical surge to begin: a significantly increased volume of patients that challenges or exceeds a hospital system’s normal capacity. Thousands of our dedicated people have been working diligently to plan for the surge, and we are now implementing those plans. Ed Ellison, MD, executive medical director, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, and Julie Miller-Phipps, president, Kaiser Permanente Southern California Health Plan and Hospitals discuss these plans in this brief video update ^[21].

To alleviate costs and stress to impacted members, Kaiser Permanente will eliminate member out-of-pocket costs for inpatient and outpatient COVID-19 treatment services. “We want our members who need treatment for COVID-19 to be able to focus all their energy on getting well, not on worrying about how to pay for treatment,” said Greg Adams, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. Read more. ^[22]

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Some hopeful indicators point to “yes,” as this report ^[24] suggests. California’s aggressive stay-at-home orders and other factors may be flattening the curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases. This means we need to keep it up, and be vigilant in our preventive measures, like staying home, frequent hand washing, and – if we must go out – wearing a cloth face covering and practicing social distancing.

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Every cloud…well, you know. Here are some upsides to the coronavirus pandemic:

• Families and roommates are finding new joy in old forms of fun. Jigsaw puzzles, Pictionary, board games and Charades are making a comeback.
• Have you noticed? Kindness and gratitude are everywhere. Let’s make this part of our new normal.
• Online dating is way up, thanks to so many people staying at home. But online scams are up too. Let the bachelor(ette) beware. Swipe here to learn more ^[26].
• Baking homemade bread is trendy. So much so that many grocery stores are sold out of yeast and flour. Try these workarounds ^[27] if you want to give bread baking a go. Just watch those carbs…
• Chicken wings are cheaper! Fewer pro sports events means fewer wings consumed. Lower demand = a surplus of wings = lower cost ^[28]. Get ‘em while they’re hot.
• More time for Panda Cams, Hippo Cams, All the Cams. Check out these animal live streams ^[29] from zoos around the world. After work 😊.

General Motors, Ford, and Tesla are among a group of auto manufacturers who are reconfiguring themselves to build life-saving ventilators in response to the coronavirus pandemic. See how one company, Tesla, is building its ventilators ^[30] with parts for its vehicles.

The Getty Museum challenged quarantined people to recreate famous works of art using things found around the house. Browse the sometimes hilarious results on their Instagram ^[31], or on the site that inspired it ^[32]. Are you up to the challenge?