Blog

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Bloomberg Philanthropies, together with New York State, launched a free online course in order to train an army of contact tracers to reach and assist people who have been exposed to the virus.

The course, called “COVID-19 Contact Tracing,” was spearheaded by Dr. Emily Gurley, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and teaches the fundamentals of interviewing people diagnosed with COVID-19, finding their close contacts who may have been exposed, and providing them with advice and support for self-quarantine.

Rev. Dr. Bryant Marks of The National Training Institute on Race and Equity at Morehouse College recently joined Mariama N’Diaye of our Bloomberg Associates team to discuss what implicit bias training entails, what implicit bias looks like in schools, and how school discipline practices contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline, and shares advice for listeners who may be beginning to identify inequities in their own communities.

Everytown is now the country’s most powerful grassroots advocacy group for common sense gun policies, and the counterweight to the gun lobby. As part of their effort to better understand and reduce gun violence in America, Everytown has a robust research arm, led by Director of Research Sarah Burd-Sharps, that helps inform policymakers, advocates and experts working on the gun violence crisis.

As the Director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr. Tom Inglesby and his team use research, data, and expert analysis to advise decision makers about public health practices to mitigate the effects of epidemics and disasters.

In this episode, Dr. Inglesby sat down with Bloomberg Philanthropies public health program lead Dr. Kelly Henning to tell us more about how states are looking at data to inform school and office reopenings, whether we’re in the first or second wave of COVID-19, and the power of social media during the pandemic.

By Gordon Innes, Lauren Racusin, and Todd Rufo, Bloomberg Associates

We have been advising 15 U.S. cities as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies COVID-19 Local Response Initiative as they navigate the situation. They’re a mix of medium and large cities from every region, some of which were humming economically before the pandemic, and others that were struggling.

Katherine Oliver shares four podcasts our team is listening to right now: The American Health Podcast, Public Health on Call, Southbank Centre’s Podcasts, and Public Art Works: A Podcast by the Public Art Fund.

In the past three months, city leaders across the country have grown comfortable reciting local data on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, ventilator usage, and more. As the pandemic evolves, however, so do the metrics they need to master.

That’s why Bloomberg Philanthropies released a guide to COVID-19 Management Metrics for Cities. It’s meant to help mayors and their lieutenants track the right data points to keep tabs on how the pandemic is impacting their city over time and make informed decisions as the crisis continues.

This Saturday, the world will come together virtually for Global Citizen’s “Global Goal: Unite for our Future – The Concert.” Bloomberg Philanthropies is proudly supporting the global broadcast and campaign which encourages everyone to make commitments to help combat the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities around the world, including people of color, those living in extreme poverty, and others facing discrimination.

As the coronavirus continues to impact communities around the globe, health care workers are risking their lives every day to protect others.

To express our appreciation for them, Bloomberg Philanthropies teamed up with Chef José Andrés and his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, to provide almost 1.1 million meals to health care workers working on the frontlines at 16 NYC Health + Hospitals facilities.

In just three months, with our support 31 countries in Africa have been able to deepen and expand their efforts to minimize the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. This work not only helps today in responding to COVID-19, but also prepares health systems to respond in the case of future epidemics.

Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a contribution to the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund), a national nonprofit organization that partners with local governments to deliver professional one-on-one financial counseling as a free public service. The support will help as many as 18 existing financial empowerment centers across the U.S. to add new counselors and continue what has been a successful pivot to remote work.

Across the United States and the world, cities, states, and localities are at different stages of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, including establishing programs such as contact tracing that reduce the spread of the virus and save lives. Contact tracing not only helps local leaders keep their constituencies healthy and safe, it is also a critical step before reopening businesses and public spaces.

Music lovers can get a backstage look at an opera house, listen to professional musicians engaging with the next generation of performers, or take a virtual walk through London with a curated playlist celebrating the city’s history. Don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in the world of music this weekend thanks to these institutions supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Mayor Jan Vapaavuori of Helsinki, Finland joins Kelly Larson to discuss how Helsinki is responding to COVID-19, how The Partnership for Healthy Cities is encouraging global collaboration between cities, and what’s keeping mayors hopeful right now.

By Antha N. Williams, Bloomberg Philanthropies Environment program lead

Bloomberg Philanthropies is thankful to be part of the ongoing efforts to protect our ocean – and on this World Oceans Day, we are more committed than ever to protecting marine areas, preserving our corals, conserving fish populations, and strengthening the blue economy so that people and our oceans can thrive.

With the entertainment industry grinding to a halt as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the entertainment community has adapted to continue creating during this time. Hear a conversation around how productions are transitioning to Zoom, how we can keep casts and crews safe, and how The Actors Fund is helping people in performing arts and entertainment in need.

For mayors and other local leaders, the COVID-19 outbreak and all the economic and social problems intertwined with it have made this the most challenging time in generations.

To bolster their leadership skills and sharpen their understanding of the health crisis, hundreds of them have taken a short break from the tumult every Thursday for the past 11 weeks to participate in coaching and learning sessions through the COVID-19 Local Response Initiative.

Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of Freetown, Sierra Leone spoke with Dr. Kelly Henning, who leads the public health program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, to discuss how Freetown is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, how global mayors are sharing information during the coronavirus crisis, and what’s keeping mayors hopeful right now.

This week’s episode dives into how apart from securing and deploying aid, it’s particularly important for cities to maintain fiscal order so that they can maximize the funds and avoid any misuse and trouble down the road.

The lead of our Public Health program, epidemiologist Dr. Kelly Henning, answers five frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 response on topics including testing and the timeline for reopening communities.

Travel back in time this weekend with virtual offerings that allow you to explore ancient lands where dinosaurs roamed, World War II Britain, colonial America, and more – without having to leave your home. History buffs and novices alike will not want to miss these historical resources from cultural institutions supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

In this episode of our series around Bloomberg Philanthropies’ COVID-19 response, Dr. Casadevall joined Dr. Jessica Leighton, from our public health team, to discuss how blood plasma has been used to treat infectious disease outbreaks in the past, what makes blood plasma treatment different from a vaccine, how donating your blood plasma could help your community, and what’s giving researchers hope right now. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has engulfed New York City, on April 15, Bloomberg Philanthropies and World Central Kitchen, the international nonprofit founded by Chef José Andrés, came together to ensure frontline workers at 16 of the NYC Health + Hospital facilities hardest hit by the crisis would have fresh, healthy meals seven days a week. Less than one month since the initiative launched, 500,000 meals, made possible by a $6 million contribution from Mike Bloomberg, have been served.

That’s 30,000 meals a day, including kosher, halal and vegetarian options, served to New York City’s public hospital doctors, nurses, janitors, facilities staffers, police officers, visiting medical staff and military personnel. To serve meals at this scale, and to assist New York’s ailing restaurant industry and its workers, World Central Kitchen connected with local restaurants.

Bloomberg Philanthropies is partnering with global health organization Vital Strategies on global response efforts, along with the World Health Organization, to support immediate action to prevent or slow the spread of COVID-19 in vulnerable low and middle-income countries, particularly those in Africa. In this episode of our series around Bloomberg Philanthropies’ COVID-19 response, Amanda McClelland, the Senior Vice President of Prevent Epidemics and Resolve to Save Lives at Vital Strategies, sat down with Dr. Jennifer Ellis, who works on our Public Health program.

This week we continue our virtual cross-country road trip to a dozen cultural organizations in cities across America. While sheltering-in-place keeps us from visiting in person for now, these small and midsize cultural organizations are bringing their most exciting offerings right to our living rooms — digitally. Join us to continue the virtual road trip with activities, exhibits, cooking lessons, and more from organizations, which are part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts Innovation and Management (AIM) program, in six cities.

As leaders on every level of government eye reopening their economies — and explore the best ways to get there — America’s mayors are expressing concern over a lack of COVID-19 testing capacity and the availability of resources needed to care for their most vulnerable residents.

This is according to a new poll of mayors conducted by The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The survey, fielded May 1–4, found that two-thirds (66 percent) of mayors who responded say they are able to prioritize rapid testing for residents with COVID-19 symptoms, including those from high-risk populations.

Take a virtual road trip with us this week and next – online – to see a dozen cultural organizations in cities across America. While our collective efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 keep us from visiting in person, these organizations, which are part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts Innovation and Management (AIM) program, have resources and experiences we can enjoy from home.

Navigating federal aid is a challenge, even under the best of circumstances – but cities need to get access to the funds they need to operate and recover, and use it effectively.

That’s why our teams at Bloomberg Associates are working with the US Conference of Mayors to help cities better understand how to access and track the Federal programs and funding to support COVID-19 response and recovery. This program is just one of the initiatives Bloomberg Philanthropies is taking on to help mayors confront COVID-19.

By Riley Martinez, current student at Princeton University and Matriculate advisor

School had always been my safe space as a child.  I excelled at a young age both academically and socially, but most importantly, it was somewhere I knew there was always going to be food at lunch and there was always going to be someone looking out for me.  I looked forward to walking a couple of miles to school every day even after struggling to get through a night’s homework with little help at home.

By Bloomberg Associates’ Rose Gill and Megan Sheekey

In their efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, local leaders are managing monumental challenges including understanding available federal benefits and programs, navigating complex legal and regulatory issues, and managing resources—both public and private—to support their communities. While government has broad access to people and service delivery channels, in this unprecedented circumstance it also needs strong partners to effectively meet the immediate and complex public issues the COVID-19 crisis has brought to bear.