May 2020 – Dr. Common Good

Dr. Common Good’s Pandemic Response Strategy

Right now, stunning as it is, there is still no leadership and no plan to systematically address the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. There is only “negative leadership.” So here is a basic organizing strategy for a response. This is not rocket science. The response could be organized at the federal level through four national councils and one unit, as follows:

A Resource Organizing Council (ROC): This should include representatives from at least the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Governors Association, and a national health officials organization such as the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). The goal of this Council would be to centralize the data around need across the country, for PPEs, testing, ventilators, and trained workforce, and, based on regular analysis of these data, direct the allocation of resources based on identified need.

A Business and Work Organizing Council (BWOC): This should include representatives from business and labor, along with CDC and NIAID, with teams organized by a typology of work — e.g., manufacturing, agriculture, small personal service, restaurant/hospitality, transportation, construction, IT, service industry/office work (e.g., insurance, banking), health sector, and education. The goal of this Council would be to determine and coordinate steps and processes to re-open the economy where possible, based on the best protective/preventive procedures possible. This should be a national approach, shaped by local differences in circumstance.

A Health Strategy Council (HSC): This should include key scientific research and medical representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), CDC, academia, and specific industries such as the pharmaceutical industry. The goal of this Council would be to organize/coordinate efforts to identify treatments and vaccines, in collaboration with other global entities such as WHO, to issue recommendations/guidelines regarding prevention and treatment, and to disseminate factual and clear messages about the state of the science regarding the above issues.

A National Resilience Council (NRC): This should include representatives from federal/state agencies and non-profits involved in providing and disseminating funds and other essential needs for people to help bridge the gap while prevention, treatment, and return-to-work efforts are underway.

A Pandemic Preparation Unit (PPU): This should be a revival and expansion of the (Executive Office) unit put in place under the Obama administration, with a goal of identifying likely trends, needs and resources for potential future waves of this pandemic as well as future pandemics – to include resource and equipment needs, health workforce and training needs, and specific policies. The PPU should work with heads of all the above four councils, and should be coordinating with global counterparts.

All the above councils and the PPU should regularly report to Congress and should be under the general leadership of the president/vice president (provided, of course, that there is a president and a vice president capable of and willing to manage such a task), or a designated point person.

There, was that so hard? No. Yet our country is shamefully stymied by the unprecedented and apparently unapologetic incompetence and venality of the Trump administration. All I can say is Remember in November!