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Alston & Bird has formed a working group to advise clients on the business and legal implications of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Spanning several Alston & Bird practices – including health care, corporate governance, capital markets and securities, labor and employment, litigation, and environmental – the Coronavirus Task Force can give insight and guidance to clients facing immediate questions and challenges about planning for or responding to the threat posed by the virus, including:
- Federal and state quarantine regulations and requirements
- Supply chain disruption and other business continuity issues
- Accounting and financial reporting considerations related to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulatory bodies
- Employee workplace protections and attendant privacy issues under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
- Employers’ steps to maintain normal business operations if the coronavirus continues to spread
- Board oversight of health care systems’ public health emergency policies and preparedness plans
- Environmental requirements for disinfectants and other antimicrobial products under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
Key areas of focus for the task force include helping public companies navigate the recent SEC request that U.S.-listed companies with operations in China disclose any coronavirus threats or risks in their financial reporting; advising health systems on board responsibility for overseeing policies and preparedness plans for public health emergencies, among other areas of risk, including federal and state laws regarding patient admissions and waste management and disposal from disinfection and patient treatment, including contaminated personal protective equipment; and working with employers to help promote business continuity, minimize business disruption, and assist in stopping or slowing the spread of the coronavirus in the workplace.
The task force members have a history of working closely with the key government and regulatory bodies that are directing the U.S. response to the virus, including the White House; Departments of Defense, Health & Human Services, and Agriculture; SEC, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and Congress.
The following are the areas represented by the task force and the Alston & Bird attorneys responsible for them:
- Business Continuity: Teresa Bonder, Larry Gage, Charlie Morgan, Alex Park
- Clinical Laboratories: Joyce Gresko
- Cross-Border & International Transactions: Tony Balloon
- Data Privacy and Protection: Dawnmarie Matlock, Kim Peretti
- Employment/OSHA: Charlie Morgan
- Employee Health & Welfare Benefits: Ashley Gillihan, John Hickman
- Environmental/EPA: Maureen Gorsen, Kevin Minoli, Elise Paeffgen
- FDA, Drugs, and Devices: Cathy Burgess, Marc Scheineson, Marilyn Yager
- Financial Reporting: Dave Brown, Dennis Garris, Julie Mediamolle
- Food Preparation and Handling: Angela Spivey
- Hospitals and Health Systems: Angie Burnette, Mike Park
- Hospital Operations/HIPAA: Angie Burnette, Dawnmarie Matlock
- Immigration: Eileen Scofield
- Medical Waste: Elise Paeffgen
- Pharmaceutical Supply Chain and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients: Cathy Burgess
- Public Health: Larry Gage
- Public Policy: Larry Gage, Joyce Gresko, Elinor Hiller, Jane Lucas, Mike Park, Mark Rayder, Ted Schroeder, Tim Trysla, Marilyn Yager
- Real Estate and Hospitality: Alex Park, Rosemarie Thurston
- Supply Chain Disruption: Christy Hull Eikhoff
For more information about our Coronavirus Task Force, click here.