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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31, 2020
MEDIA CONTACTS: Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957 Breann Almos: 614-799-6480
Ohio Takes Inventory of Ventilators; Issues Emergency Connection Order; Extends State Telework Order
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that Ohio is taking action to gather a statewide inventory of ventilators and other machines and devices that provide breathing assistance.
Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton issued an order requiring weekly online reporting of these devices by any entity in the supply chain, from creation through end-use. Examples are manufacturers, producers, wholesalers, transporters, distributors, retailers, physicians, clinics, hospitals, and medical facilities.
"This will allow for the identification and re-distribution of machines from healthcare providers who are no longer performing elective procedures," said Governor DeWine. "It also will help our regional hospital collaboratives by giving them information on the availability of these machines in their regions."
Along with mechanical ventilators, other devices to be reported are CPAP and BiPAP machines commonly used to treat sleep apnea, as well as anesthetic machines, and various treatment masks and tubing.
Exemptions include:
  • Ventilators in the possession of individuals for personal use; and
  • Ventilators that are in transit across Ohio but are being delivered from and to other states.
Inventory is to be reported on-line at http://coronavirus.ohio.gov/VentInventory each Wednesday by 5:00 p.m. with the first report due Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Innovate Ohio assisted in creating the web-based reporting form. Hospitals must also continue to report daily ventilator data through the Ohio Hospital Association reporting tool.

EPA ORDER:
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued an order today to maintain public water service during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
This order prevents a water system from shutting off a resident's water service due to non-payment during the declared state of emergency.
The order also requires water systems to reconnect water to anyone whose water was shut off dating back to January 1st to help Ohio assure that as many people as possible have safe water during the state of emergency. Those who qualify for reconnection must call their water utility company to request the reinstatement. The reconnection will happen without any fees, but customers will be required to pay their water bill moving forward.

More information is available on  coronavirus.ohio.gov . 

STATE EMPLOYEE WORK FROM HOME POLICY: 
Governor DeWine announced that he is extending the directive that state of Ohio employees work remotely to the greatest extent possible. 
The current teleworking order resulted in almost 18,000 employees working remotely. Teleworking for state employees will continue through at least Friday, May 1, 2020.
Governor DeWine also asked state agencies to find additional remote work opportunities to the extent possible and to collaborate to share resources and information during this time.

JOBSOHIO
Governor DeWine has directed JobsOhio to begin collaborating on how to help the economy once the intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic begins to fade. 
JobsOhio also announced that it has provided a $2 million growth fund loan to Appalachian Growth Capital (AGC) as part of a new strategic initiative to provide more economic development funds to areas of Ohio hardest hit by the economy.
AGC provides small business financing in the 32-Appalachian counties of eastern and southern Ohio. It works with local and regional banks, as well as secondary lenders to support businesses in the region.
The JobsOhio investment is a long-term, low-interest loan that will boost AGC’s ability to provide low-interest funding to businesses in the Appalachian community. The lending support is intended to sustain small Southeast Ohio businesses during this COVID-19 outbreak and create sustainable growth for the region beyond the crisis.

CURRENT OHIO DATA: 
There are 2,199 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 55 deaths. A total of 585 people have been hospitalized, including 198 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov . 

Video of today's full update, including versions with foreign language closed captioning, can be viewed on the  Ohio Channel's YouTube page . 

For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit  coronavirus.ohio.gov  or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.
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A Message from State Representative Jessica Miranda
As a fellow business leader in the #Great28 I wanted to contact you to ensure you have seen all of the available resources to businesses during this health crisis. I am a business owner myself and these unprecedented times are hitting us hard in many different ways no matter the size of your business. Whether the impact is adjusting day to day business to the niche you serve, or discovering new and innovative ways to adjust employees in the workforce of our essential businesses, this is a difficult adjustment for all of us.

As your State Representative, I want you to know that my office is always here for you should you need assistance. It is an honor to serve you in Columbus, I always have an open line of communication and I am responsive to your needs.

Listed below are various different resources and the link to access them:
Ohio Dept. of Health Economic Resources
JobsOhio Resource Page
SBA Disaster Loan Assistance
CDC Guidance for Employers
IRS Relief Information
Ohio Small Business Dev. Centers
Ohio Department of Health COVID-19 Page
REDI-Cincinnati Resource Page
OSHA COVID-19 Workplace Prep
ODOT COVID-19 Changes & Resources

Here are some additional important announcements to assist businesses at this time:
Ohio’s Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) 
To help businesses facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio BWC is announcing the deferment of insurance premium installment payments for March, April and May until June 1, 2020. For more information, visit  bwc.ohio.gov
Grace Period for Health Insurance Premiums
All health insurers are required to provide the option of deferring premium payments, interest free, for up to 60 calendar days from each original premium due date. This means that employers can defer their premium payments up to two months, giving them some relief on costs, while keeping their employees insured.
Learn new tech skills
TechCred helps Ohioans learn new skills and helps employers build a stronger workforce with the skills needed in a tech-infused economy. Many of these trainings can be completed online. For more information:  https://techcred.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/techcred/about
SharedWork Ohio, helps employers retain trained staff during times of business downturn
Under a SharedWork plan, the employer reduces the employees’ hours in a uniform manner and JFS supplements eligible employees' income with a proportionate share of unemployment. Right now, the federal government is fully funding these benefits paid to employees. Learn more at  jfs.ohio.gov/ouio/SharedWorkOhio/
Liquor buyback
The Ohio Department of Commerce will immediately begin offering a liquor buyback option to support bars and restaurants. This is intended to aid those establishments that have stocked up on high proof liquor, but now are facing closure to in-house patrons. Bars and restaurants can return unopened, high proof liquor products (obtained within the past 30 days) to the agency where they purchased the product. This opportunity is also extended to those with temporary (F2) permits for events scheduled between March 12 and April 6, 2020. Questions about this program should be directed to the Liquor Enterprise Service Center at 1-877-812-0013 or  OhioLiquorInfo@Com.Ohio.gov
At this point I am sure you are on information overload so this is the last resource I will share in this email.
Banking updates that are available to businesses at this time:
  • Banks across the state are taking steps to offer loan payment deferrals, fee waivers or refunds and extend credit lines to both businesses and individuals. Many banks are also suspending foreclosures where possible. Recent federal guidelines give financial institutions more tools to help Ohioans and the banking industry has welcomed these changes.
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  • Banks are also showing customers how to protect themselves from coronavirus-related scams and encouraging Ohioans to use digital banking features like mobile apps, online banking or banking by phone. If you need help, please reach out to your bank for assistance.
  •  
  • Banks and credit unions across the state are taking steps to offer loan payment deferrals, fee waivers or refunds and extend credit lines to both businesses and individuals. Many financial institutions are also suspending foreclosures where possible. Recent federal guidelines give our financial institutions more tools to help Ohioans and the banking industry has welcomed these changes.
Again, please know that my office is here to help, we run a very tight ship on an open door policy, and I am here for you or your business should you need anything during this crisis and beyond.
I hope you and your families are healthy and safe. When we conquer this very difficult time COVID-19 has created in our economy I wish you the best in business. Once we are back to normal I hope that it is both quick and prosperous for you and your business. Thank you for providing an asset to the communities I represent in the #Great28 and we will reschedule the Business Roundtable that we had to postpone during this time as soon as we can, so please look out for a new date for this event.

Jessica E. Miranda
State Representative
Ohio’s 28 th House District
(614) 466-8120 – phone
“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” Abraham Lincoln