WBA hosts Recovery Whatcom webinar, ‘The future of health care: experts answer your questions’
On Thursday, August 19, business leaders from across Whatcom County attended the Whatcom Business Alliance’s Recovery Whatcom webinar to learn more about the science behind COVID-19, the potential policies and changes to the future of health care and what businesses could do to mitigate the spread of the disease and potentially open sooner.
Panelists included:
- Sudhakar Karlapudi, MD, Chief Medical Officer & Patient Safety Officer, PeaceHealth
- Catherine Kroll, Director of Infection Prevention, PeaceHealth
- Roger Stark, MD, Healthcare Policy Analyst, Washington Policy Center
The discussion among the experts covered a wide variety of topics, including the challenges businesses face in re-opening and the potential permanent changes to health care. Dr. Stark also reviewed the economic and emotional impact of limiting education to online learning, and the public health impact of extended economic restrictions. Dr. Karlapudi and Ms. Kroll addressed the effort made by the state of Washington, local policymakers, and the business community to prevent the local healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed.
“Businesses need to stay informed of the science driving the decisions being made on when and how to lift economic restrictions,” said WBA Executive Director Barbara Chase. “But it isn’t enough to just know the science. Private sector leaders must use that information to responsibly advocate for themselves and their colleagues. We must re-open safely, but we also must weigh the consequences of widespread business closures and high unemployment on public health. The information shared in these webinars should help us do that.”
You can view the recorded webinar on the WBA YouTube channel.
Please follow the WBA on LinkedIn and Facebook and check out our website for upcoming webinars. The next Recovery Whatcom webinar, “Cybersecurity and the New Risks to Your Business” will be held on September 16th at 3:00 PM PST. Click here for free registration.