Items

• 2020-10-16

  A slightly light hearted take on how professors are making Zoom classes better for students.

  I chose this article because it touches on some issues I faced myself on a much smaller scale. Zoom class meetings can be, for whatever reason, intimidating. They create a different type of social anxiety than when in a class setting, where things can be more relaxed, or tension eased quickly. The communication barriers of having to mute microphones to hear one another, technical issues, and just not wanting to be the focus when you see your screen light up, and also still wanting to contribute can get stressful quickly. It also can be uncomfortable, staring at all of your classmates all at once, and also trying to focus on your professor. I also enjoyed how the professor in this article discussed his methods of improving his online lectures, and trying to ease those social tensions, and create a sense of normalcy for his students despite the vast array of challenges faced.
• 2020-11

  Journal Entry: Thoughts on the first semester of grad school.

  This is less of an entry and more of a summary of how my year has gone? I'm trying to write without too much filter, to really capture the raw emotions of the pandemic. It's been a weird, and rough semester. A positive is that due to the pandemic, I was able to get into a school I had been interested in for quite a while. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get in, but I had a much better chance of doing so, than I did before when online classes weren't offered for my major. I did get in, at the last minute and picked my classes the day before the semester started! I needed a laptop, which were certainly in short supply, but luckily there were some available. When my laptop was stolen, and a webcam was a more immediate option for an older computer, that was more difficult to obtain. I hadn't even considered that they were in short supply but almost every cheap to middle priced webcam were sold out. I definitely didn't think this is what my first semester of graduate school would be like when I started. One class ended in a project showcase that felt far differently than it would have had we been able to present in person. Juggling the semester and also working at night was certainly not something I expected to be doing. During the nights we (my coworkers and I) would be frantically trying to stock canned goods, paper goods, and other items in high demand, just to watch it all be bought within 30 minutes of the store opening for the day. This is also on top of trying to run the store normally. It was very surreal to go in and see shelf after shelf empty and ransacked, as if a hurricane was on the way. All in all, I'm not thankful for the pandmeic, but being able to find positives, and to be grateful for the opportunities afforded me is healthier than focusing on the negatives.
• 
  2020-11-16

  Interview with a Student Athlete: Getting an education during quarantine.

  This interview shares the perspective of not only a college student learning during the pandemic, but also a student athlete. Preston Potter strives to maintain his job, his grades, and also stay in athletic shape, while also trying to keep a sense of team brotherhood while staying safe. We explored how he tried to juggle all of this, stay sane, and lead a normal life. Preston gives a positive outlook on the struggles and challenges he faces, focused solely on achieving a dream career of being a professional baseball player. It is a unique look into how different students are handling the many balls they have in the air between work, school and practice.
• 
  2020-09-01

  St. Mary's Mask Squad

  A feature story in the lifestyle section of The Rattler student newspaper is about the St. Mary’s Mask Squad, a group of student leaders from different RSOs on campus promoting safety and Marianist values. The job of the mask squad is to not only promote proper mask wearing but find ways the campus can improve on safety for its students and staff. This promotes our Marinist values by caring about other’s safety and health and making sure our actions are aimed towards protecting those around us.
• 
  2020-10-14

  Visiting with Friends during the Pandemic

  My friend Victoria, has shared ways that she has been able to keep in touch with her friends during this time of quarantine, social distancing, and precaution. Victoria captioned this screenshot with: "Before COVID, I would hangout with my friends in person which was a good and fun stress reliever. However, now that we have to social distance, I FaceTime them which helps just as much" I, personally have also resulted in communicating with my friends via video chat calls. I usually try and schedule a time to call them where we can catch up and chat. I usually am not a huge video chat fan however, with COVID-19, I have become one. In order to minimize the spread of the virus and keep our families safe, most of my friends and I, have been relying solely on facetime calls to catch up. It's weird but it's definitely better than getting sick!
• 
  2020-10-27

  Together we can protect St. Mary's University

  Together we can protect St. Mary's University! Signs like these are in place to remind students at St. Mary's University to remember the new COVID19 safety guidelines put in place to protect the university and the St. Mary's Community. The signs remind students to wear their masks, keep their social distance (about six feet), to wash their hands, to use hand sanitizing stations placed around campus for their health and safety, and to mind the direction they walk in public areas like dorm hallways or large public spaces.
• 
  2020-11-16

  Oral History with an Anonymous Teacher

  I've chosen to submit this interview, because it captures the raw and real experience of an (almost) brand new teacher. Someone who has recently graduated (May, 2019) and barely dipped their toes into the teaching world. She has had to adapt to not only teaching a subject different than the one she studied for in college, but also navigating the trials of teaching in a pandemic world. This 40 minute long interview that show cases the emotions and trials that a teacher has to experience. On top of issues like student engagement, and teaching unfamiliar material she has to ensure that she's accounting for all her students attending, both the ones physically and online, while juggling asynchronous and synchronous classes. One particular poignant quote "It's not that I'm trying to relax and be happy or anything. It's just trying to find downtime to just have energy" really sums up the energy of how the year has gone for this new teacher. This perspective is important, as it shows the reality of how strenuous the pandemic education scene has been for educators, and the problems it's creating for students, as this person discusses. The pitfalls of technology that are harming rather than helping, and causing issues that might reverberate in the futures of the student's academic careers.
• 
  2020-10-20

  Memes for COVID-19 that Spark Joy

  I, like many people my age, find not only humor but relatability in memes. They take the stress of issues that are exacerbated by the pandemic and help make us chuckle at it. I picked these three after looking at many, many others, because I related to them quite a bit.
• 
  2020-11-01

  A Telling Graph...

  This graph illustrates unfortunately the differences in the handling of the Pandemic. When I created this I chose six industrialized nations They have a total of 346 million residents, according to Google. Also according to Google the United States has a population of 331 million residents. Five of the six nations appear on the graph below the figure for the United States. Taiwan did not have enough cases despite a population of 23.5 million to register on the bottom of the graph. So that is six industrialized nations for 77 thousand deaths versus 200 thousand deaths in the United States alone and growing at the world's fastest rate of infection. This is important to me because it illustrates the failure of our government to take the Pandemic seriously enough.
• 
  2020-10-26

  Signage at St. Mary's University

  These are signs from around the office of one of the campus programs. Their importance is of course that they are about social distancing and prevention against the virus. I am a member of a group at high risk to the virus. Precautions help prevent the spread of the virus, which is now at it's highest in the United States,
• 
  2020-09-04

  Precautions and Code of Student Conduct at St. Mary's University during COVID- 19 Pandemic

  This email is relevant and important because it is a clear example of how life as a St. Mary's University Student has changed. The email discusses the precautions the students and faculty should be taking in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone at St. Mary's. The email also lays out the possible consequences for students (especially on campus) who aren't following the rules in the Code of Student Conduct relating to these COVID Precautions. As I am a student with all online classes, living at home- therefore I am not on campus- this email does not affect me in a huge way. I am also not going to any in-person classes however, I think it is great that these precautions be enforced and closely monitored as the health of other students and professors or faculty who are on campus may be jeopardized. It is important that students learn to respect others and that they understand that their actions can affect a large group of people and not just them.
• 2020-10-08

  The consequences of the Pandemic

  The COVID- 19 pandemic has been extremely rough for my family and I. During the spring of 2020, the pandemic started to become the major event that not only US was discussing, but the entire world. I clearly remember during the time of spring break at ASU, an individual contacted the virus, which caused a significant amount of chaos for my family. The reason was because of my older parents. My family was concerned with their health and the possibility of them being infected with COVID-19. As time went on and ASU decided to move all in class sessions to Zoom (online learning), it made it much easier for my family to be isolated as I started to study from home. One of the biggest challenges that I faced was getting groceries, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and much more. This brought a lot of major issues as the pandemic grew lager and larger, these essentials where missing. As time passed, my older brother was exposed to the virus at his work and then he contaminated all of his family. This news did not only cause a significant amount of worry to me, but more to my parents as they heard my brother in constant pain over the phone. As time progressed, my brothers condition worsens, which resulted in his being taken to the hospital. He was kept overnight for observation and was released the other day. Even though his health declined significantly, due to the virus, he fought it and won. After that experience, my family was extremely cautious of everyone around them. My family and I decided to completely quarantine ourselves for about a month or so due to the health of my parents. This was only made possible because our family prepared for this situation beforehand. Once my family heard about the pandemic reaching the state of Arizona, my father decided to buy the necessary supplies for us to last roughly a month, but other essentials where still missing.
• 
  2020-07

  Finding Myself Through Walking

  During this pandemic, I begin to fall into depression and anxiety which I never faced before. I didn’t want to go to the hospital to see my provider to be put on pills for depression and anxiety because I was nervous due to the virus. I slowly begin to pray asking God to help me overcome this battle. I started to do different types of self-care, but nothing would help. I decided to go walking one morning and I knew right away this would help me. Every morning, I get out of bed to go walk the minimum of 3 miles, the maximum would be 6 miles. I enjoyed watching the sun rise and seen the difference it made while being up. I also enjoyed the different weather changes from being summer to beginning to get cold. It has helped me see another day, by making great healthy choices in my food intake. I enjoy the nature and the environment I am walking in. I love hearing the birds chirp, the quietness at times, the cars go by. When I listen to music and sing it helps me release my depression. As I begin to walk, I begin to pray to God and giving him thanks for another day, another day to see his creation and continuously praying. It's important to me because my health reflects my life. This not only helped me with my better living path in staying healthy but involving my son to my walk. Taking him along with me during the walks. I enjoy his presence as well as implementing games, so he doesn’t get bored during our walk. The thing that also helped me out is a great friend who also runs every morning. She gives me encouragement to have a better healthier lifestyle. In order to have life, we need to take care of our inner self. It has helped me physically, mentally and spiritually.
• 2020-09-18

  Coronavirus Daeths Pass One Million Worldwide (NYT)

  The author explains how the COVID19 pandemic has taken more lives than many diseases. The virus has impacted and taken over the world, impacting the economy and the health of everyone. Some say that the major failing to prevent the spread of the virus is due to the government's lack of commuinication with the public. The fact that the virus could have been avoided or maintained is such a shame.
• 
  2020-09-02

  Setting Up the Video Call

  My spouse has a number of mental and physical health issues and getting out of the apartment is usually difficult, so one thing I have to admit I don’t mind about the pandemic is that our GP now does phone consultations, and my spouse’s new psychiatrist does interviews by video. This is me setting up the iPad for his first session.
• 
  2020-09-06

  Quarentena sedentaria

  Meme from Being Peruvian Instagram. It makes light of how inactivity leads to weight gain during the pandemic. Peru has some of the strictest lockdown orders, and it's a society that is accostomed to walking and traveling across the city daily. Loosing daily activity has slowly, but surely affected everyone's health.
• 
  2020-09-29

  An Unprecedented Time

  We are living through something that nobody could have ever predicted to happen. I believe this news article perfectly encapsulates the overall disaster that the Coronavirus has been, as it continues to ravish through the country taking thousands of lives.
• 
  2020-09-16

  The Crushing Reality of Zoom School

  This article is a candid look into how doing school online through Zoom has proved to be an exhausting challenge for children, teachers, and parents.
• 
  2020-06-23

  Jackson County COVID-19 Employee Health Screening

  This was provided upon returning to work in June 2020 to all Jackson County and the County Tower Building employees.
• 
  2020-08-26

  Normal Covid Year

  Through the pandemic I have never stopped working. My wife and so many others were laid off and impacted through all of this. I smile because we have been able to maintain our livelihood and health.
• 
  2020-08-22

  Lactar y ponte mascarilla

  It’s really interesting to me that this recent public health promotion is advocating for nursing and responding to your baby’s changes. The parents are wearing face masks, so it’s clearly tying into the Coronavirus pandemic and larger public health concerns. From the Instragram account of the Ministerio de Salud del Perú.
• 
  2020-03-25

  Staying Home Does Not Equal Staying Healthy

  At college, I was taking a cycling class, going to yoga club twice a week, and walking at least four miles a day on a big campus. Now I’m home in a Brooklyn apartment and staying healthy is not an easy feat, not to mention the pandemic we’re currently living through means we can’t go outside unless we absolutely have to. In an effort to stay physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy in the hectic, uncertain time, I’ve developed a routine for myself to have something constant. There’s so much we can’t control right, we have to just get through it, but we can’t let ourselves deteriorate because then we’re in no condition to fight the virus and to rebuild society.
• 
  2020-08-05

  Viral Spread: A Snapshot of Kansas Coronavirus Cases

  This screenshot taken on August 5, 2020, captures the virus's spread in the state of Kansas as of that date, with Johnson and Wyandotte Counties ("JO" and "WY"/Kansas City, KS, metro-area), along with Sedgwick County ("SG"/Wichita), leading the state in total number of cases. The two graphs depict the virus's course throughout the spring and summer of 2020, revealing its early rise, decline, and accelerated summer surge. Together, these screenshots offer a snapshot of the effects of a patchwork response and quick reopening, and how quickly virus cases spread as a result.
• 
  2020-08-04

  A Roadside Appeal

  This sign implores Wichita residents to save a life by wearing a protective mask, thereby underscoring face masks' growing importance, when it had been previously dismissed as a relatively ineffective non-pharmaceutical intervention early in the pandemic. Not only does this sign attempt to reinforce the city's mask mandate, its wording also hints at how COVID-19 had become a threat to all age demographics by the summer of 2020. At the time of this photograph, the average age of an infected patient in Wichita had dropped from the mid-60s in the spring to 37, thus Wesley Hospital's appeal for everyone to do their part to help stop a rapidly accelerating and demographically expanding contagion.
• 
  2020-08-02

  Shawn Burris Oral History, 2020/08/02

  Shawn Burris is a paralegal located in Southern California region. He has two children and has not been financially affected by the Coronavirus other than in the stock market.
• 
  2020-07-27

  Masked and Contactless Service

  Following Wichita's municipal ordinance overriding the Sedgwick County Commission's decision to forego the governor's mask mandate, citizens were required to wear protective face coverings in all public spaces within the city limits. Electronic billboards and marquees, such as this one from west Wichita's Credit Union of America, announced that all customers must comply with this order should they wish to conduct business within their environs, while at the same time offering contactless methods for various bank transactions. These photographs underscore the urgency of both masks and social distancing, two of the most effective anti-COVID countermeasures, in combating a rapidly accelerating outbreak that city and Kansas state officials struggled to corral during the summer of 2020.
• 
  2020-07-24

  5 New Reasons to Remain Hopeful

  Life has felt very overwhelming lately. While reading the news today, I ran across an article titled "Five new reasons to remain hopeful, from Bay Area health experts." In need of some hope, I gave it a read. The article reminded me that while life remains challenging, there has been progress. The five new reasons to remain hopeful are: 1-we are getting closer to a vaccine, 2-treatments look more promising, 3-testing is getting easier, 4-masks are working, 5-we know more about the virus now. I am choosing to stay safe during this pandemic. And because of that choice comes a lot of personal sacrifice for our family. I hope that I can continue to stay strong and positive as I navigate this new life and world. This article was a good reminder to have faith in progress.
• 
  2020-07-15

  An Outbreak at Heartspring

  On July 7, 2020, Heartspring, a special needs school and residential campus for autistic children and teens in Wichita, Kansas, announced that six of its school employees tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the immediate closure of its pediatric services building and surrounding facilities until further notice. Although all staff underwent testing, Heartspring administrators feared that the outbreak may not have been detected in time and were preparing for more cases to manifest in the coming days and weeks, with local authorities recognizing the outbreak as a COVID cluster. These photographs show the shuttered pediatrics services building and the neighboring residences; a silent testament to the burgeoning case load that swept the city, the state, and threatened its hospitals in the summer of 2020. It also recognizes the efforts of Heartspring staff in taking care of this vulnerable community.
• 
  2020-07-08

  A Toothless Mandate: Sedgwick County's Mask Order, July 8 and 9, 2020

  After the city of Wichita decreed compulsory mask-wearing, the Sedgwick County Local Health officer issued an emergency order overriding the County Commission's decision to not make masks in public mandatory. The first order states that no penalties will enforce the mandate's provisions, while the second, issued the very next day, adds religious institutions to the list of exempted parties; a hot button issue that saw Governor Laura Kelly's administration besieged by lawsuits and accusations of abuse of power during the statewide lockdown. Therefore, these texts are products of the political tensions that hobbled Kansas's response efforts in the face of a surging COVID-19 crisis, with state and local leaders, most if not all of whom identified as Republicans, opting for non-existent counter-measures that prevented "executive overreach," but allowed the virus to flourish.
• 
  2020-07-06

  Wash Hands Before Entering

  These photographs taken of the east side of a local Wichita grocery store depict the continuing efforts businesses are taking to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Positioned just off the east parking lot, this recently-installed hand-washing station makes clear in both English and Spanish that it is not for any use other than sanitation. With medical professionals touting masks and thorough, 20-second hand-washing as some of the most effective means of prevention, images like this reflect how stores are attempting to ensure customer and employee safety as much as possible by making hygienic facilities as widely available as possible, even before a customer even enters the store.
• 
  2020-07-03

  Tensions are High in the Grocery Store Produce Section

  This cartoon show the new frustrations with wearing masks.
• 
  2020-07-02

  The Order That Wasn't: Kansas Executive Order 20-52

  As COVID-19 case numbers accelerated in Kansas in the summer of 2020, Governor Laura Kelly issued this executive order declaring that Kansans must wear masks in public spaces, especially in places where the 6-foot distance rule was not possible, beginning on Friday, July 3, 2020. However, this order proved empty, since it allowed for local county authorities to enforce it, with several counties, including Sedgwick, which is home to the state's largest city, Wichita, to either opt out of the order entirely, or declare it a "strong recommendation." This document reflects the partisan politics that stymied Kansas's COVID-19 response efforts, as Democratic Governor Kelly eventually relinquished her statewide executive authority to direct the anti-virus effort in favor of a decentralized, locally-driven patchwork response favored by the state GOP, which had earlier passed legislation to curb her executive powers and threatened lawsuits against what they perceived to be a gross over-reach of executive power.
• 
  2020-04-20

  Florida Army Guard Deploys to Nursing Home

  These screenshots of pictures from an article posted on the Department of Defense's website detail how the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team has traded in their rifles for PPE and COVID-19 test kits. Deployed to the Alexander Nininger, Jr., Veterans Nursing Home in Pembroke Pines, Florida, these soldiers conduct tests as mobile teams, while administering tests to staff before entering the facility. Moreover, these screenshots also give an idea of the total scope of the Florida Guard's COVID-19 mission, including its operations beyond nursing home facilities.
• 
  2020-06-07

  A Delicate Balance: Weighing Protest Against the Risks of the Coronavirus

  From article: As the protests against police brutality continue, public officials are warily watching for signs that mass demonstrations are leading to virus outbreaks.
• 
  2020-06-04

  Children and Covid-19

  Many falsely believe that the Corona virus will not harm children. However, it it becoming clearer that while not statistically likely, Covid-19 can be deadly to children.
• 
  2020-06-04

  Vaccines

  Many of us are eagerly waiting for a vaccine. But there is is still so much uncertainty.
• 
  2020-04-28

  Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: April 28 - May 12, 2020

  These two orders, issued by the Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner in late April and early May of 2020, waive the time frame for CNA training and the need for health screenings in Massachusetts schools. Both of these mandates reflected the constant need to buttress the number of frontline medical personnel available for service, as well as the fact that Massachusetts schools would no longer require such screenings due to the transition to virtual learning.
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  2020-04-20

  Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: April 20 - April 28, 2020

  Issued at the end of April 2020, these public health directives include guidance on staff-to-patient ratios in dialysis units, COVID-19 data accessibility, allowing certain referrals to labs conducting COVID-19 testing, and essential practices for the continued operation of farmers' markets in Massachusetts. While most of these orders highlight the virus's testing and healthcare impacts, the last ordnance reflects the careful mitigation efforts employed to ensure access to a healthy food supply.
• 
  2020-04-04

  Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: April 4 - April 8, 2020

  The public health directives contained in this set provide a closer look at COVID-19's impact on daily life in Massachusetts as it pertains to personal health. These orders sought to relieve the burden of prescription refills on quarantined individuals, clarify the essential practices of grocery stores, and details on the reporting COVID-19 case numbers and all relevant data.
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  2020-04-03

  Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: April 3 - April 4, 2020

  These orders offer guidance on the maximization of healthcare availability, the compounding and sale of over-the-counter hand sanitizer at pharmacies, the continued expansion of the available pool of medical personnel, and public health guidance on the operation of garden centers/nurseries as an essential service.
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  2020-03-28

  Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: March 28 - April 2, 2020

  These public health orders primarily address long-term care and assisted living facilities within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Specifically, they expand the number of medical personnel permitted to administer rescue inhalers and epinephrine injections in community programs, address the transfer/discharge of patients from long-term care facilities, while expanding the pool of nurses qualified to work in assisted living programs. Moreover, the orders give the Department of Public Health the authority to run criminal background checks on volunteers for MAResponds. Orders such as these detail the different ways that state governments, like Massachusetts, attempted to reinforce their healthcare system in the face of the pandemic.
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  2020-03-24

  Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: March 24 - March 26 2020

  Because of the coronavirus's potential to overwhelm the healthcare system at virtually every level, the Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner issued these orders to address the maintenance of adequate hospital staffing, the need for more medical personnel to perform a greater range of functions, and the steps grocery stores and pharmacies need to take to ensure customer safety. While providing a look into COVID-19's effects upon the public health system, these orders also render a snapshot into how the "new normal" began to take shape in Massachusetts.
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  2020-03-23

  Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: March 23 - March 24, 2020

  Contained in this set are public health orders addressing modifications to medical examiner inspections, the production and donation of hand sanitizer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the closure of day programs, and directives for pharmacies to ensure the continuation of operations and the reduction of exposure to COVID-19. These orders give testament to the drastic alterations that COVID-19 forced upon the state, as well as the country and the world, as it aimed to combat the growing crisis.
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  2020-03-17

  Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: March 17-March 18, 2020

  These public health directives issued by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health reveal how the sudden health crisis forced the MA Department of Public Health to quickly adapt to a disease that had stormed the state, the country, and the world. These orders include guidance on the reassignment of physician's assistants to address the shortage of healthcare personnel, the administering of medications to treat opioid addiction due to said personnel shortage, the continuity of emergency medical services, as well as sharing of vital information with first responders.
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  2020-06-15

  Civilians and Soldiers on COVID-19's Frontlines

  US Army medics and healthcare personnel depart a New York hospital after having spent weeks assisting hospital staff in the relentless fight to halt and treat COVID-19 in virus-besieged New York City. Although the virus appeared to have subsided in the city at the time of this farewell ceremony, the omnipresent threat of infection still loomed large.
• 
  May 1, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 31

  This order required that all residents of the state above the age of 2 years must wear a face mask/covering, either inside or outside, when social distancing is not possible. As scientists raced to understand COVID-19's transmission, the medical community's stance on face masks gradually shifted. In the early days of the pandemic, physicians and public health officials advised against the use of masks, citing their relative ineffectiveness, only to do an about-face a couple of months later by stressing their importance in cutting down on the airborne contagions that allow the virus to jump from person-to-person.
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  April 9, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 25

  In an effort to expand citizens' access to medical services, Governor Baker signed this order so as to require all major health insurers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to cover any and all medical services related to COVID-19.
• 
  2020-05

  Zoom Fatigue

  With the pandemic came online learning and being forced into a class room situation where everything was mediated through our screens. I found this learning style to be mentally draining and had felt that I was alone in my experience when all I saw online was people celebrating the wonders of connecting through zoom. Seeing this infographic which acknowledges zoom exhaustion and breaks down why it happens and ways to overcome it was really nice. It shows that my experience is felt by many and while technology has allowed many of us to stay connected it isn't with negatives. HUM402
• 
  3/15/2020

  Massachusetts Executive Order Expanding Telehealth Services and Protecting Health Care Providers

  Because strict social distancing measures were necessary to combat the virus's spread, telehealth/medicine became essential delivery systems for medical services during the pandemic. On March 15th, 2020, Governor Baker signed this order requiring all in-network healthcare providers to render medical services via telehealth, therefore highlighting how technology acted as a mitigation tool to slow COVID-19. Moreover, this order underscores how the virus has altered how people interacted with the health care system.
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  March 17, 2020

  Massachusetts Executive Order Expanding Access to Physician Services

  Because of the stealthy nature of COVID-19's transmission, and the lethal threat it posed to high-population centers like Boston, state and local health officials braced for a public health emergency that could potentially overwhelm the health care system. Signed by Governor Baker on March 17th, 2020, this executive order expanded the number of physicians permitted to practice in Massachusetts by allowing retired physicians to return upon request, extending physicians' soon-to-expire licenses, and granting emergency licenses to out-of-state physicians with good standing.