Tommy Berges has seen firsthand how the coronavirus pandemic has caused delays in essential emergency services. The veteran paramedic and firefighter out of Washtenaw County, Michigan said the outbreak has extended emergency response times from the outset.
"COVID has really changed the entire fire and EMS services overall," Berges told Cheddar. "These time delays actually start when someone calls 9-1-1."
Emergency responders are screening callers to see if they have COVID-19, a necessary precaution that nonetheless adds crucial seconds to EMS response time.
"They're going to ask you questions. That takes additional time," Berges said. "If you do screen positive, it's very likely that information will get to us and that requires us to put on additional PPE, and that takes time. While it seems like seconds, in any emergency situation where time is of the essence, this all adds up."
Berges advises people to have a plan for emergency situations, given the delayed response time. For those who have dealt with opioid abuse in the past, in particular, he recommends keeping Naloxone, an anti-narcotic drug, on hand for emergencies.
He recounted one instance in which a man, who had been receiving medically-assisted doses of opioids, accidentally overdosed when he misunderstood the directions provided by his doctors. They had given him additional pills so that he could social distance.
"Have a plan. Stop and think about what you can do," he said.
Tech apprenticeship platform Multiverse became a unicorn with a $1.7 billion valuation, after raising $220 million in a Series D round. As companies across the country face challenges in hiring and retaining tech talent, Multiverse says it's trying to offer a solution with a new way to train and hire workers that can serve as an alternative to college and corporate training. Sophie Ruddock, VP and GM North America of Multiverse, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Cheddar's Kristen Scholer caught up with all-time NBA great Shaquille O'Neal in his hometown of Newark, NJ, working with Icy Hot to repair rundown basketball courts around the country. The Hall of Famer also spoke about the current NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors and had a lot of praise for the Warrior's guard Stephen Curry. "He's the greatest shooter of all time. I had a conversation with Stephen A. [Smith], where does he rank? He's a special player. He has his own category," Shaq said.
On this episode of On The Job presented by ADP: Gemma Burgess, CEO of Ferguson Partners, explains what people are looking for in an employer, and how to convey positive work culture to potential employees; Amy Leschke-Kahle, Vice President of Performance Acceleration at The Marcus Buckingham Company, an ADP company, breaks down how encouraging employee engagement and empowering employee voices can benefit every workplace and busts a myth about employee engagement while working from home; Jim Huether, CEO of Hyperice, discusses Hyperice's new employee mental health initiative, known as the Workplace Alliance, with 100-plus companies to combat the ongoing mental health crisis and how they're taking a hands-on, data-driven approach to the mental health crisis.
Jim Huether, CEO of Hyperice, joins Cheddar to discuss Hyperice's new employee mental health initiative, known as the Workplace Alliance, with 100-plus companies to combat the ongoing mental health crisis and how they're taking a hands-on, data-driven approach to the mental health crisis.
