HCAD 670 Assignment 7: COVID-19 Pandemic Memo
Instructions
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is a pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020 and a pandemic in March 2020. As of 14 December 2020, more than 72.5 million cases had been confirmed worldwide, with more than 1.61 million deaths attributed to COVID. As of May 5, 2021, the United States had more than 32, 520,687 positive COVID-19 cases with more than 578,000 deaths; these numbers are continuously updated; please see the STAT COVID-19 Tracker for the most current statistics.
The pandemic has caused global social and economic disruption, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression. COVID-19 has led to the postponement or cancellation of events, widespread supply shortages exacerbated by panic buying, agricultural disruption, and food shortages, and decreased emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases.
Educational institutions have been partially or fully closed. Misinformation has circulated through social media and mass media. There have been incidents of xenophobia and discrimination against Chinese people and against those perceived as being Chinese or as being from areas with high infection rates.
The pandemic has affected the political systems of multiple countries, causing suspensions of legislative activities, isolations or deaths of multiple politicians, and rescheduling of elections due to fears of spreading the virus. Although they have broad support among epidemiologists, social distancing measures have been politically controversial in many countries. The pandemic has had many impacts on global health beyond those caused by COVID-19 disease.
It has led to a reduction in hospital visits for other reasons. In several countries, there has been a marked reduction in the spread of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, attributable to COVID-19 quarantines, social distancing measures, and recommendations to not engage in casual sex. Similarly, in some places, rates of transmission of influenza and other respiratory viruses significantly decreased during the pandemic. The pandemic has also negatively impacted mental health globally, including increased loneliness resulting from social distancing and depression and domestic violence from lockdowns.
The pandemic has resulted in misinformation and conspiracy theories about the scale of the pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease. Journalists have been arrested for allegedly spreading false information about the pandemic. It has also been propagated by celebrities, politicians, and other prominent public figures.
As of May 5, 2021, in the United States, (a) California, (b) Texas, (c) Florida, and (d) New York led the nation in positive COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Your assignment:
You are the CEO / COO of the Regional Hospital in one (I chose Florida) of the above-mentioned states and in 1000-1200 words, please discuss the following about the COVID-19 response as it pertains to the selected state your hospital is located:
-What went well with the response?
-What were the significant challenges with the response? In which ways could the response have been improved?
-During Week One, we discussed Fayol’s Five Functions of Management: (a) Planning, (b) organizing, (c) coordinating, (d) commanding, and (e) controlling. As the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Regional Hospital, how would you augment your healthcare facility’s pandemic preparedness and response plan? Discuss which ways you would utilize Fayol’s Fifth Function of Management, controlling into enhancing your facilities’ pandemic preparedness and response plan.
Make certain that your assignment follows the Memo Format guidelines stated in the link below and is in the APA 7th edition format with a cover page, separating your sections by the appropriate APA Level Headings. Also, make sure you include a reference page and at least eight (8) references.
Resources:
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in numerous ways, including health, social, and economic disruptions. As the CEO/COO of a Regional Hospital in Florida, it is imperative to provide an analysis of the COVID-19 response as it pertains to the state of Florida. This assignment presents an opportunity to evaluate the response, identify what went well, the significant challenges, and ways to improve the response, and how to augment healthcare facilities’ pandemic preparedness and response plan using Fayol’s five functions of management.
Answer:
The COVID-19 response in Florida started at a slow pace, with inadequate testing and contact tracing. The significant challenges were the state’s demographics and the spring break rush, which contributed to the rapid spread of the virus. However, Florida’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has shown considerable progress since the initial outbreak. One of the positives of Florida’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the timely response by state leaders, who put measures in place to contain the spread of the virus.
Florida’s leaders created a task force to plan and respond to the pandemic’s effects, including widespread testing and contact tracing, which have helped reduce the number of positive cases. Furthermore, healthcare facilities bolstered their capacity to handle COVID-19 patients while also ensuring non-COVID-19 patients still receive quality care.
The significant challenges with Florida’s COVID-19 response were the lack of uniform regulation across counties, politics, and misinformation regarding the virus. The lack of uniform regulation in the early stages of the pandemic led to conflicting messages from local leaders and stakeholders, making it difficult to contain the spread of the virus effectively. Politicians’ opinions and misinformation regarding COVID-19 undermined the threat the virus posed, leading many Floridians to ignore CDC recommendations like mask-wearing and social distancing.
Florida’s COVID-19 response could be improved by increasing access to testing and contact tracing, ensuring that there are uniform guidelines for all counties, and having more effective communication and transparency at all levels of government.
As the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of a Regional Hospital, I would utilize Fayol’s fifth function of management, controlling, to enhance the facility’s pandemic preparedness and response plan. Controlling involves ensuring that an organization’s activities are consistent with its established objectives and standards. It involves creating a system of checks and balances that help organizations stay on track.
To augment our facility’s pandemic preparedness and response plan, controlling can be used in several ways. First, the COO could create a system of checks and balances that ensures the facility’s activities remain in line with the organization’s pandemic objectives. In addition, the COO could establish and maintain a robust monitoring system to track progress towards the pandemic response goals. Finally, the COO could create a reporting system that provides timely and accurate information about progress towards the pandemic goals.
In conclusion, Florida’s response to COVID-19 has had its fair share of successes and challenges. Although the state has demonstrated improvement since the initial outbreak, there is still room for improvement in the state’s COVID-19 response. Hospitals can utilize Fayol’s five functions of management, including controlling, to enhance their pandemic preparedness and response plan, ensuring that they are consistent with the organization’s objectives and standards.
