The ANSI Federation and standardization community are stepping up with guidance, resources, and initiatives to support public health, safety, and infrastructure during the COVID-19 outbreak. ANSI is monitoring, sharing, and promoting appropriate news to highlight these efforts. Suggestions for news items may be submitted to [email protected]. All submissions are published at ANSI's discretion.
AdvaMed Issues MedTech Compliance Guidance in COVID Response
This month, the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) released its "Code of Ethics Compliance Guidance Related to the COVID-19 Response." The guidance will help AdvaMed members and other medical technology companies "develop and implement processes that both support rapid decision-making in the context of the pandemic and mitigate any related compliance risks," noted Christopher L. White, AdvaMed COVID action team leader, chief operating officer, and general counsel.
The guidance complements AdvaMed's existing Code of Ethics, and addresses shared compliance concerns, experiences, and best practices developed by its member companies as they respond to the COVID 19 pandemic. Key topics addressed in the guidance include:
AdvaMed's Global Compliance Steering Committee oversaw the development of the guidance, with active input from more than a dozen of its member company compliance officers. Access AdvaMed's Code of Ethics in PDF.
Ericsson Promotes Initiatives to Keep America Running
During the COVID-19 pandemic, network connectively has become profoundly important. As part of its Keep America Running campaign, Ericsson has released new videos and articles on how it is keeping people and communities connected, including healthcare workers, teachers, and more. Kevin Zvokel, head of networks, explains how broadband networks are even more important to meet the needs of all Americans, from first responders to work-from-home parents to students. Tomas Ageskog, head of digital services explains how Ericsson is helping operators be more agile in times of crisis. And Amy McCune, vice president and head of managed services, writes how the company is ensuring connectivity to keep America running.
Ericsson also announced that it has partnered with ANSI member the National Institutes of Health, Georgetown University, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on their open research dataset challenge COVID-19. This challenge has 10 open tasks ranging from understanding COVID-19 risk factors to finding treatment protocols.
See additional articles and additional coverage on Ericsson's website.
ExxonMobil Ramps Up Production of Medical Grade Sanitizer, PPE
ExxonMobil is working with the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) to redesign and manufacture reuseable personal protection equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers, such as face shields and masks, drawing on ExxonMobils experience in polymer-based technologies. According to the company, the industrial-style mask design will improve coverage of a health care worker's nose and mouth and will use a replaceable cartridge system that includes a filtration fabric to prevent contact spread of the virus from the saturated filter.
"Expediting advanced technologies to help those who are combatting this global pandemic is absolutely critical for society," said Karen McKee, president of ExxonMobil. Read more about the effort on ExxonMobil's press announcement.
The company also recently announced that it has reconfigured manufacturing operations in Louisiana to produce medical-grade hand sanitizer for donation to COVID-19 response efforts in Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Johnson & Johnson Works on a Possible COVID-19 Vaccine, Supports Healthcare Workers
As part of its multipronged response to the coronavirus that includes efforts to develop a vaccine candidate against the disease, Johnson & Johnson has announced that a lead vaccine candidate has been selected to move into clinical trials by September 2020, at the latest. Together with BARDA, the company announced that it has committed $1 billion dollars to co-fund vaccine research and development, plus additional funding to further its ongoing work to identify potential antiviral treatments against Covid-19.
In March, the company committed an additional $50 million earmarked specifically to support doctors, nurses, midwives, community health workers and others on the front lines fighting Covid-19. The company reported that the contribution includes support for the American Nurses Foundation, the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund, which will support the World Health Organization's work to prevent, detect and respond to the pandemic; the CDC Foundation's All of Us Campaign, aimed at understanding priority response needs and directing resources where they are needed most; and Dimagi, one of the world's largest providers of mobile technology in support of frontline health workers.
Read more about Johnson & Johnson's efforts and see its new web series "On the Road to a Vaccine."
SMPTE Expands Access to Educational Programs, Events, and Standards Documents
In support of its community, The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is offering free access to popular SMPTE standards and articles from the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal to help professionals in their work.
"Throughout SMPTE's history, the Society has responded to the demands of evolving technologies through our Technology Committees, educational offerings, access to thought-leading engineers and creatives, and more," said SMPTE President Patrick Griffis.
"The situation we face now is generating a new set of demands and challenges for our membership and industry. To respond to these challenges, we are making some of our standards documents and SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal articles freely available and access to our extensive library of motion-imaging technology and professional media education options more affordable to engineers and technologists worldwide," he said.
Access the standards and more information on the articles in SMPTE's press release.
See more ANSI member efforts in the ANSI COVID-19 Resource Webpage Highlighting Standardization Community Response Efforts.