IMPORTANT:
Are you looking for PPE for your company? Ohio has launched the an exchange for the Repurposing Project.
You can find suppliers here.
Governor DeWine has asked for help from all of us to locate and manufacture the following products to help our fight and protect healthcare workers in our fight against COVID-19.
If you think you can help please go to https://repurposingproject.com/
Surgical gowns (S, M, L, XL, XXL), Face/surgical masks (adult, pediatric) , Gloves (nitrile, vinyl or butyl), N-95 particulate respirators, Isolation gowns, Face shields, Tyvek coveralls, Thermometers , Foot coverings, Ventilator tubing.
Other developments
We have heard from many of our partners about employee anxiety and stress regarding coming to work as essential employees. To help with this we have compiled a list of resources and frameworks you can use to help.
US Chamber of Commerce - Editable and Customizable Flyer for Office
Mental Health Resource Flyers
Managing and Expanding your Energy
Website Resources - Click here
General COVID training video - Click here
Job Search - Click here
How Food Manufacturers Can Reassure Their Employees During COVID-19
As essential businesses, it’s important that food manufacturers continue their operations at full capacity. However, even though food manufacturers have remained open, it doesn’t mean that their employees are unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees may be nervous about performing certain tasks or being near certain people, and they may be scared to come to work at all. Below is a list of steps that company leaders can take to reassure employees and maintain productivity.
Communicate: Giving frequent updates to your employees lets them know that you’re aware of the situation and take it seriously.
Provide Information: The abundance of unknowns regarding COVID-19 can be a large source of uneasiness for employees. By sharing as much information as possible, this can be mitigated.
Empathize: Employees won’t feel better if they’re told they’re being irrational. Let them know that their fears are normal, and give them an avenue to express concerns.
Be creative: Whether it’s with job functions, leave policies, benefits, or communication, realize we are in unprecedented times that may call for unprecedented actions. Take each employee’s concerns on a case-by-case basis, and think outside the box to determine a solution that works for everyone.
There is a list of EPA-registered “disinfectant” products for COVID-19 on the Disinfectants for use Against SARS-CoV-2 list that have qualified under EPA’s emerging viral pathogen program for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Resources on Covid-19
State of Ohio
- Food Industry Association - Click Here
- Ohio Department of Health - Click here
- Ohio Grocers Association - Click Here
- Ohio Department of Agriculture - Farmers Markets - Click here
- JobsOhio - Click here
- State of Ohio Press Releases on COVID – 19 - Click here
- Ohio Safety COVID 19 – Checklists - Click here
- Ohio Department of Agriculture – Food Safety - Click here
- ODOT - Click here
National/Federal
- FDA Checklist for Human and Animal Food Operations - Click here
- The United States Food and Drug Administration - Food Safety and the Coronavirus - Click here
- The United States Food and Drug Administration - Guidance on Facemasks - Click here
- CDC Manufacturing Facility Assessment Toolkit - Click here
- CDC Facility Assessment Checklist - Click Here
- CDC Guidance for Meat and Poultry Processing Workers and Employers- Click here
- The United States Food and Drug Administration - Best Practices for Re-Opening Retail Food Establishments - Click here
- The United States Food and Drug Administration - Shopping for Food Safely - Click here
- The United States Food and Drug Administration - Press Announcements - Click here
- FDA Temporary Policy for the Manufacture of Alcohol for Incorporation into Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizer Products - Click here
- GFSI Updates - Click here
- FEMA National Business Emergency Operations Center - Click here
- CDC Interim guide for employers - Click here
-
CDC Communication Toolkit - For Migrants, Refugees, and Other Limited-English-Proficient Populations - Click here
- Cybersecurity Risks – WHO - Click here
- Office of Homeland Security - Click here
- Small Business Administration - Click here
MEP
- MEP - Protecting Your Business from COVID-19 - Click here
- MEP - Resource Guide and Information for Manufacturers - Click here
- MEP - Responding to a COVID-19 Exposure at Your Business - Click here
- MEP - Supply Chain Disruption Planning - Click here
COVID-19 Small Business Assistance Resources
- Pay Check Protection Program (PPP); EIDL Loan Advance; SBA Express Bridge Loans; SBA Debt Relief - Click here
- COVID-19: Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources - Click here
- COVID-19 & Unemployment Insurance Resource Hubs - Click here
- COVID-19 Resources through Small Business Development Center - Click here
- COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide - USDA and Federal partners - Click here
- Ohio Development Services Agency Easy Program Finder - Click here
Sign up to receive updates as they become available through Small Business Development Center - Click here
Other
- Acheson Groups Downloadable Resources - Click here
Good news from the front lines of the fight against COVID-19
CIFT Consortium Member Hirzel Canning supports local food banks and adapts to market changes around COVID-19
CIFT Provides Support to New Craft Distillery Sanitizer Production Supply Chain
With the rise in demand for hand sanitizers quickly outstripping supply in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, craft distilleries, with their licensure to produce and handle high-proof alcohol already in place, quickly stepped up to fill the gap in market. However, the supply chain that developed around distillery production of sanitizer was not very efficient, with shortages of raw materials and packaging supplies, as well as distribution challenges.
CIFT and other Ohio MEP partners were able to provide support to Ohio craft distillers by working to create more efficient supply chains in this new market, specifically by connecting suppliers of bulk ethanol to distillers who needed it. Additionally, CIFT connected distillers who had been very successful in transitioning to sanitizer production to those who were just beginning that process to share knowledge. CIFT also identified distillers with excess bottling capacity who could take bulk sanitizer from traditional manufacturers and repackage for consumer use.
We are so proud of our MEP partner Rhodes State. They are donating their lab supplies of PPE and ventilators to local hospitals. These items will save lives and protect our front line medical workers battling COVID-19.