United Healthcare since 2018 has donated $12.3 million through its Empowering Health grant program nationwide. Despite the current health crisis brought on by the coronavirus, insurance companies remain pretty healthy financially. Covid-19 costs have in some cases been off-set by a decline in health-care spending on elective surgeries and regular patient visits.

Locally, United Healthcare is donating $1 million to six Georgia-based nonprofits including $200,000 to the Atlanta Regional Commission to expand its behavioral health coaching program; $175,000 for Open Hand Atlanta to grow its Cooking Matters initiative for home-delivered meals for seniors; $125,000 for Prevent Blindness Georgia to offer vision screenings and prescription glasses to low-income students and uninsured adults; $100,000 to Families First to expand in-person and virtual counseling services to families disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

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Kelley Krohnert is a Georgia resident who has been following the coronavirus pandemic very closely. She is not a doctor or scientist but has an extensive background in math and information technology. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Emory University with a double major in Psychology and Educational Studies.She has worked in the information technology field for over 20 years, as a Technical Writer, Research & Database Manager. When she launched Covid-Georgia.com she had been compiling and analyzing the stats on the virus for several weeks, just for herself, and I thought she’d put the site up to share what she'd learned, along with an overview of the statistics from the previous day. Now Kelley has as a site that is used by many Georgians to educate themselves on what the COVID numbers are actually telling us versus what many would want you to believe they are saying.

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We invited an old friend, Dr. Chirag Patel Assistant VP of Population Health and Integration at WellStar, back to the show to discuss Men’s Health Month. How men can keep healthy both mentally and physically. Also, as we start to see spikes in cases and the state re-opening, we want people to remember the safety measures. Remember that relaxing restrictions does not mean eliminating safety measures. Plus, the reason you should not delay seeing the doctor. Doing so could impact your health and ultimately your life. Finally, on top of the pandemic and civil unrest – both of which can have serious mental and physical health implications – we are also seeing many people lose their jobs – up to 43 M across the nation – and with their jobs, many are losing their employer-sponsored insurance. Many have never had to look for insurance before. We know that means many will not seek medical care, perhaps when they need it most.

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In this episode, we talk to Ash Merchant who has served various organizations as a trusted advisor, executive, and brand ambassador across the fields of human capital, risk management, and business consulting. He currently serves as President & CEO of Lionheart Partners. Lionheart Partners started in 2018 with a clear vision to help organizations accomplish their most critical growth goals through their leaders and teams through Business Advisory, Leadership Development, and Executive Coaching services. Ash addresses unemployment, underemployment, and searching for a job during Covid-19. What to do if you are laid off or about to lose your job? How to network and still land work while social distancing or limited in-person interaction is in place. How to plan for recovery if you are underemployed or were unemployed prior to the quarantine period. How to brace for impact if your industry is in danger of a slow or no recovery. Reinventing yourself or picking up new skills or certifications during this season. How do you truly stand out as an employee during this unique time in history?

 

 

 

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In this episode of Just the Facts, 2020 Cobb Chamber Chairman John Loud will share with you how small businesses in Cobb County can apply for part of a $50M grant to help their business during these difficult economic times. He shares how the grant came to be and how businesses will be chosen to receive up to $40,000 in grant money. You will also get the requirements that need to be met to qualify for the grants. We focus on why Cobb Chamber of Commerce membership IS NOT a requirement. Chairman Loud will also share why his first goal was to ditch "The Cobb Way" moniker in favor of "Together We Can" and finally highlight upcoming chamber events and resources that Cobb businesses can benefit from.

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On this episode, we invited CIGNA Market President for Georgia and Alabama, Bryan Holgerson to explain how CIGNA is leading the way to help protect customers, clients, communities, health care providers, and their own employees from the COVID-19 pandemic, including its Customer Protection Program which safeguards customers from surprise bills by out-of-network providers for care related to COVID-19 treatment. Bryan shares Cigna's Express Scripts' new program to ensure Americans can continue to afford their prescription medications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Any American who loses health care coverage as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic can use Express Scripts Parachute Rx to secure many of their medications at affordable and predictable prices. Bryan explains how CIGNA is waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, telehealth screenings, and treatment. And finally, Bryan will tell you about CIGNA's efforts to honor COVID-19 front line responders through the Cigna Foundation along with the New York Life Foundation, The Brave of Heart Fund which provides monetary grants to survivors of front-line U.S. healthcare workers who give their lives in the fight against COVID-19. 

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The first live sporting event in Atlanta will be held at Atlanta Motor Speedway and heard on 680 The Fan. In this episode, we invite Brandon Hutchinson the Executive Vice President and General Manager of AMS to discuss how they will pull off the race while keeping the drivers and teams safe, as well as the people who live in the City of Hampton and Henry County. When he expects fans to be in the stands and will they also be the first sports league to welcome back fans. Could AMS get a second race this year if things go well during the June race and finally, a prediction on who will take the checkered flag in the end?

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In this episode of "COVID19: Just the Facts" I talked to 680 The Fan legal expert Ray Giudice. Ray is a nationally known and respected voice on legal matters and he is often called upon by national and local media to comment on high-profile criminal cases. Ray appears The Fan 680/93.7FM every Friday morning with the Front Row, on CNN HLN and CBS.

Ray will tell you what to do if you can't pay your mortgage, rent, car payment, insurance, or any other debt you owe during the COVID19 Pandemic? Why we will NOT have college sports in 2020 but, also, the one specific reason we may actually get professional sports back this year. What business are the front line risk-takers if there were to reopen their doors too soon? Why the state of Georgia is actually not following the legal guidelines set forth by the President and the CDC about reopening the state?

 

 

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In this episode of COVID19 Just the Facts I will introduce you to Dr. Chirag Patel, who is Wellstar Health System’s Medical Director of Population Health. Dr. Patel can tell us ...

What to know as we prepare for potential, projected second wave or surge in COVID cases in Georgia and what that may look like for consumers and our hospitals

Why we need to still stay at home/shelter in place and how important it is to our community and healthcare workers

Why/how/when to wear masks… and how not to

How and when to access healthcare, including new Wellstar virtual health options and why you should call 911 or go to the ED if you have another emergency, such as heart attack or stroke

What we know about at-risk communities

What we know and what we don’t know yet (immunity, treatments, when the actual peak will be when we can lift the shelter-in-place)

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Dr. Eric Zerandy is a physician for Piedmont Health System as well as the Atlanta United Team physician. In this episode we discuss how Atlanta United is moving forward during the pandemic. What can we expect out of the next few weeks here in Georgia? How the testing process is going in Georiga and across the country. What is the innovation that will come out of this experience? How will you interact with your doctor in the near future? What is something we do to protect ourselves as we are able to move back to a more normal lifestyle? How optimistic can we be about getting back to normal and finally, will most people take a COVID19 vaccine if one is proven to work?

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