Sovos Brands has offered its support to a pioneering initiative to help both businesses and health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the backing of the Advent Global Relief Fund, the food and beverage firm has made a substantial donation to Frontline Foods.

The program’s funds are used to buy meals for healthcare workers from restaurants local to them. This helps keep the establishments financially solvent while their premises are closed, while feeding critical workers on the frontline of the pandemic. It is active in 59 cities across the United States.

Frontline Foods has partnered with World Central Kitchen (WCK), a charitable organization led by chef José Andrés, to scale up the program across the USA. Donations are tax-deductible, and 100% of all contributions go directly to the restaurants.

Rao’s Homemade – a wholly owned subsidiary of Sovos making Italian-inspired foods – participated in #GivingTuesdayNow, a day of giving and solidarity in Montclair, New Jersey. The brand partnered with Hackensack Merdian Health Mountainside Medical Center and the YMCA of Montclair to encourage generosity, engagement and philanthropy, in support of communities and nonprofits around the world. Rao’s matched a share of donations made during the day and provided gift baskets for donors. It also supplied the makings of a pasta lunch for children in the YMCA’s childcare program for essential workers. Many had parents who were Mountainside Medical Center employees.

The brand has also launched the #sauce4cause Instagram Live campaign, which included weekly recipe inspiration from celebrity chefs and personalities. The initiative included a ‘Make One, Give One’ pledge from Rao’s — for every fan who made and shared one of the featured dishes, Sovos gave one meal to a family in need via Montclair, NJ non-profit Jersey Cares.

Sovos’ core yoghurt brand, noosa, donated 1.5 million meals to Feeding America and created a limited edition yoghurt lid to encourage its’ customers to jump on board and support this important cause. In addition, the brand has made donations of yoghurt to the Poudre School District lunch program, as well as three Californian children’s hospitals.

Based in Berkeley, California, Sovos Brands is a company that aims to acquire and build unique brands in the food and beverage sector. It owns Rao’s Homemade, a product line centered on premium pasta sauces; noosa yoghurt; and Michael Angelo’s, a producer of Italian frozen meals.

Restaurant group First Watch has taken decisive action in support of its employees and the communities they serve.

First Watch’s mission has always been “You First” – and the restaurant chain has committed to several different measures to protect its employees’ health and financial well-being, even as nearly all its restaurant locations have temporarily closed during the lockdown period.

Most recently, and perhaps most significantly, the You First Fund is the latest in a line of initiatives to support First Watch team members. The fund was created, with support from the Advent Global Relief Fund, to help staff who may be struggling to meet personal or family expenses because of the crisis. Qualifying workers can apply for a tax-free grant – which, if approved, is paid within days.

In addition, First Watch has provided relief payments to longstanding hourly team members who are on furlough and has pledged to provide a bonus for furloughed restaurant managers when they return to work. The benefits have been partly funded through cost savings and pay cuts taken by senior leadership.

The restaurant company is providing more than financial support to its employees though. First Watch has invested in telemedicine benefits for all employees – whether at work or furloughed – and their families, at no cost to them. This program grants every staff member access to medical professionals who can diagnose issues, authorize tests and prescribe medications.

The company also committed to continuing all the existing healthcare benefits of furloughed employees, and to covering 100% of out-of-pocket costs, co-pays and deductibles for any medical visits related to Covid-19.

Various First Watch locations across the United States have been providing free meals for healthcare workers, first responders and other people impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The franchise in Springfield, Missouri, is among those to have risen to the challenge, donating more than 5,000 free meals to local children.

Headquartered in Manatee County, Florida, First Watch is a daytime restaurant concept that offers made-to-order breakfasts, brunches and lunches using fresh ingredients. It operates more than 365 outlets across 29 states of the USA.

Hair-care brand Olaplex is supporting the thousands of US salons forced to shut their doors during the Covid-19 pandemic and the hairstylists left without income.

There are approximately 80,000 hair and spa salons in the United States, employing some 800,000 professionals. The industry has been hard-hit by the pandemic, with shelter-in-place orders requiring premises to close in many parts of the country.

Under one new program, the Salon Support Gift Card Program, the company will match the value of Olaplex gift cards that affiliated salons sell to their clients. The scheme will support up to 2,000 participating businesses, which can register their interest on the Olaplex website.

Another new program is aimed at helping hairstylists more directly. Led by the CEO and COO, Olaplex wanted to support the strong loyalty bond between salon clients and their hairstylists throughout this period of widespread closures. Through the new Professional Affiliate Program, salon clients can purchase Olaplex products retail on the company website, and hairdressers will gain 35 percent of the sale while their salons are closed.

In a further effort to boost spirits and enable stylists to learn new skills during this downtime, Olaplex quickly organized a two-day Virtual Hair Show to substitute for the in-person hair shows and conferences that would normally have taken place. The Hair Show consisted of 30-minute classes, from 10am to as late as 9pm, involving hair techniques, business advice, photography, and social media skills” for more than 100,000 hairstylists. A dozen different companies from all over the world were able to showcase their products, brands and talent.

Based in Santa Barbara, Califorina, Olaplex is one of the largest independent hair brands in the world. The company was founded in 2014 by beauty industry veterans Dean and Darcy Christal, bringing to market a revolutionary technology to protect and repair hair.

US healthcare company, ATI Physical Therapy, has launched a new online service to maintain patient care during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new online physical therapy program, called ATI CONNECT, is designed to offer more than just a video chat between patient and therapist. ATI’s immersive experience makes use of best-in-class digital screening tools, comprehensive musculoskeletal evaluations, expert advice, in-depth content and video messaging – all delivered in a secure environment.

Each virtual, personalized session provides patients with the same one-on-one interaction and guidance from ATI’s licensed physical and occupational therapists as they would receive at a clinic. No app purchase or download is required to use the online service, which can be accessed on a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Because physical therapy is a type of medical treatment, and therefore “essential,” almost all of ATI’s clinics remain open for patients who need to see a therapist in person. Every facility is adhering strictly to all applicable health and sanitation guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Based in Bolingbrook, Illinois, ATI is one of the largest providers of physical therapy services in the US, specializing in outpatient rehabilitation and related services. Its mission is to exceed customer expectations by providing the highest quality of care in a friendly and encouraging environment. The firm has more than 900 locations across the USA.

CCC Information Services (CCC) is helping small business in the United States face the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The company, which produces software and analytics for the automotive, insurance, and collision repair industries, is using its expertise to facilitate its customers’ ability to stay safe and make informed decisions during this period of acute economic uncertainty. CCC has created a comprehensive information and resources website for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the sector.

This site includes information and links for the Small Business Administration loan program and related loan application forms, plus information on further legislative and industry relief efforts. There is also a “CCC trends” section, which features the latest news and perspectives on the impact of Covid-19 on the industry.

In an effort to help customers keep their businesses open while keeping safe distance between employees, CCC is supporting collision repairers by expanding access to digital tools to support adherence to social distancing guidelines. The CCC Engage solution allows users to upload photos of vehicle damage and request an online estimate. Appointments can be scheduled online minimizing personal interaction with staff.

Additionally, shops can use CCC’s electronic parts ordering solution to order and receive the parts required for repairs, reducing physical contact.

Headquartered in Chicago, CCC and its affiliates provide cross-industry solutions to support the vehicle lifecycle. Its solutions and big data insights are delivered to a network of more than 350 insurance companies, 25,000 repair facilities, original equipment manufacturers, hundreds of parts suppliers, and dozens of third-party data and service providers.

Portfolio company Definitive Healthcare is a trusted source for accurate data, intelligence and analytics on the healthcare provider market. Its product suite provides comprehensive, high-quality data for 2,500 clients, supplying them with the information needed to effectively segment and research the market.

When the coronavirus hit the US, Definitive Healthcare recognized it had a unique ability to create insightful analytics and empower good decision making. The company combined its proprietary ICU and ventilator data with public information about population distribution, Covid-19 cases, and Covid-19 testing to create a valuable new tool: The Covid-19 Capacity Predictor.

The Capacity Predictor uses epidemiological information on the spread of the virus, combined with modeled growth functions, to predict the number of severe cases, and thus demand for medical resources.

Matching its projections of demand with its proprietary data on the supply of ICU beds and ventilators available, the Covid-19 Capacity Predictor dashboard can zero in on a state or county and project the number of days until current resources in the healthcare system are maxed out.  

If they chose to use it, the data enables Public officials at all levels of government – as well as healthcare organizations providing the beds and ventilators –  to make swift judgments on where to channel additional resources to where they are likely to be most needed.

Definitive Healthcare is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Culligan has risen to the challenge of ensuring good sanitation during the coronavirus pandemic.

In France, where Paris hospitals have been coping with an influx of Covid-19 patients to intensive care, technicians have been performing vital service visits to critical installations and units that are essential to saving lives to ensure they have sufficient clean water. Culligan staff is also helping to ensure production of hydroalcoholic gel – a product essential for effective, hygienic hand-washing – by servicing the reverse osmosis units in the plant where it is produced.

Making stay-at-home orders easier, some Culligan delivery drivers in Austria have been able to deliver twice as many water bottles as usual to their residential customers. A further initiative of the Austrian office has been to promote a do-it-yourself sanitation kit to commercial clients.

Culligan takes its responsibility to communities seriously. In the United States, Culligan’s local dealership in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the emergency water provider for all hospitals and nursing homes. These critically important facilities have been receiving priority treatment, ensuring they are the first to receive the water they need.

In Dubai, Culligan holds a license to produce detergents and disinfectants. The local team was able to dilute one of the company’s established products for disinfecting water and use it to create hand sanitizer. This disinfectant product, in turn, is being used to disinfect offices and locations in the field. The hand sanitizer has been offered free of charge to Culligan employees and is being made available to customers for use in airports, supermarkets and healthcare facilities. 

Headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois, USA, Culligan is a world leader in delivering water solutions to improve the lives of its customers. The company produces technologically advanced water filtration and treatment products, including water softeners, drinking water systems, whole-house systems and solutions for businesses. Culligan’s network of franchise dealers is the largest in the world, with more than 900 dealers across its international locations.

Aimbridge Hospitality is the world’s largest third-party management company with a global portfolio of 1,400 properties. Aimbridge manages properties in the US and around the globe which are now providing housing for healthcare workers and first responders. They are working differently and leveraging their scale to partner with national contractors to house doctors and nurses serving on the front lines of this pandemic. From New York City to Los Angeles, their hotels across the US are providing a respite for healthcare workers.

In the UK, 35 properties remain open to support key workers’ accommodation needs. For example, the Holiday Inn Express London Excel is supporting the first NHS Nightingale – a temporary hospital – to accommodate doctors and nurses. The corporate team has also embarked on a fundraising initiative to support the NHS Charities Together.

The corporate team has also embarked on a Seven hotels in Moscow have over 1,400 guestrooms dedicated to accommodating doctors. In greater New York City, Aimbridge recently fully dedicated two hotels to house traveling nurses and doctors working on the frontline of healthcare with many other area hotels supporting healthcare workers and first responders.

Advent portfolio company AccentCare has mounted a strong response to the Covid-19 crisis, with efforts aimed at safeguarding its staff and all its patients and service users.

Thanks to AccentCare’s emergency planning, the home healthcare services provider was able to quickly tackle the challenge of procuring personal protective equipment for staff – an industry-wide concern at a time of international shortage.

To ensure supplies are available where they are needed most, AccentCare performed a system-wide inventory of its supplies and instituted a new system to move equipment to wherever it is in demand. Plans are in place to procure additional provisions from non-traditional sources, such as suppliers to industrial and waste-management companies, ensuring patients and caregivers will continue to be protected.

Under a new AccentCare protocol, unplanned exposure is mitigated for both caregivers and patients. First, caregivers are obliged to perform and document a self-symptom check before visiting patients. Second, to ensure that caregivers enter the home with proper precautions, three levels of screenings and attestations prior to each home visit are performed, collecting relevant information about travel, potential local exposure, and symptoms.

As part of its emergency response, the company launched a campaign to train all 25,000 of its care professionals to identify these symptoms, to disinfect surfaces, to properly wash their hands and to use personal protective equipment.

AccentCare is also helping to alleviate strain on hospitals by working with health systems to take in Covid-19 patient discharges, freeing up valuable beds.

In its support for employees, AccentCare leads the home health industry by example. Frontline clinical staff, as part of the Covid-19 Response Team, receive enhanced pay stipends, as well as, any who test positive for the virus are offered a $2,000 indemnity benefit, a medical out of pocket benefit and incremental paid time off. Also, leadership established a transparent, regular communication cadence to all employees, sending daily emails from CEO Steve Rodgers, texts, video, and web resources. Steve’s first employee video, filmed at Covid’s onset, can be found here. Through accountable communication, AccentCare has hardwired the commitment to “meet the challenge, together.”

AccentCare brought the voice of its caregivers forward, to elevate understanding of Covid while reinforcing its cultural values. The digital video series Real Talk, Real Care features the voice of frontline nurses, therapists, chaplains, and care partners. During these short interviews, AccentCare’s caregivers reflect on their personal Call to Purpose as well as their recent experiences serving Covid-19 patients.

On a local scale, employees have been encouraged to take even small steps to improve service users’ lives. Texas Home Health, an AccentCare subsidiary that provides services for seniors throughout the state, sent staff to Mayberry Gardens Senior Home in Denton to stage a piano singalong from the parking lot, which residents could watch from their windows. Similar heart-warming, media-attracting scenes have played out all across AccentCare’s markets.

Syneos Health, Inc. a global biopharmaceutical solutions organization, is answering the UK Government’s appeal for volunteers to support Covid-19 testing.

The company is enabling clinically-qualified employees to volunteer to perform throat and nasal swabs at the testing stations being established throughout the UK. The program is being led by Syneos Health, Inc. Chief Executive Officer, Alistair Macdonald and supported by the Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) – the Washington, DC-based body that represents the leading players in the industry.

Syneos Health, Inc. has extended the volunteer program internationally, enabling medical professionals in countries around the globe to participate in Covid-19 support efforts. The company’s 24,000 employees, including doctors, nurses, infectious disease experts, lab technicians and other professionals with frontline healthcare expertise who can provide expertise at this time.

The volunteer program follows Syneos Health, Inc’s. Ventilator Initiative, a public-service program designed to spread awareness of the invasive use of Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) devices. These can be used as a bridging measure to treat patients on an emergency basis, helping to address the predicted shortage of mechanical ventilators.

Already available in many hospitals, BiPAP machines can delay or remove the need for mechanical ventilation. To educate frontline healthcare providers about their use, the company has mobilized clinical and commercial leaders from across the organization – including specialists in infectious diseases, respiratory medicine, critical care, medical education and training. Information for healthcare professionals is available at http://www.COVID-BipapInfo.com.

Headquartered in North Carolina, USA, Syneos Health, Inc. is the only fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization. It supports customers in more than 110 countries – sharing insights, using the latest technologies, and applying advanced business practices to expedite its customers’ delivery of important therapies to patients.