The University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s National Institute for Civil Discourse is broadcasting a virtual discussion with former government leaders who speak on the importance of bipartisan response to COVID-19.
The hour-long discussion, “Healthy Bipartisanship in the Time of COVID-19,†will be streamed and will include former secretaries of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt and Sylvia Burwell, former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) and U.S. Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D) and former Governor and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman (R).
The former leaders will discuss lessons they learned while serving in government that are relevant to the current government’s response to the coronavirus, the institute said in a news release.
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Daschle and Whitman will reflect on their time in government when September 11 happened, and talk about the importance of bipartisanship as the country recovered from the terrorist attacks, said Keith Allred, the institute’s executive director and host of Thursday’s discussion.
Leavitt and Burwell will provide advice to the general public and to elected officials on how they should be responding in order to overcome the current pandemic, Allred said.
He said Leavitt reminds people that it’s important to recognize that the virus is biological and is happening regardless of people’s political views, and that pandemics always bring about changes in politics and economics in society.
“They talk through the need to address both the public health and economic parts of it,â€Allred said, summarizing Burwell and Leavitt’s part of the pre-recorded discussion. “You can’t really successfully address one and not the other.â€
Flake and Giffords will talk about the lessons they learned after the 2011 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ mass shooting and how they overcame their political differences in the wake of that tragedy. Flake talks about how he supported his colleague and friend as she recovered from the shooting, Allred said.
Giffords talks about the lessons she learned on her journey to recovery and about an about how those lessons are relevant to Americans as they endure the pandemic.
Allred will also talk about whether members of CommonSense Americans with varying political views support or oppose current bills in congress regarding surprise medical billing.
CommonSense Americans is a program through the institute where more than 13,000 members choose issues to study and discuss and vote on whether they support bipartisan bills on the issue.
Photos: Medical students volunteer to help the homeless population
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Christian Bergman, 4th year University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ medical student, checks on a patient outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Members of the homeless population social distance themselves while waiting for their to-go food outside of the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Eugene Inocencio sits by himself at an orange cone as he waits for to-go food outside of the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Christian Bergman, 4th year University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ medical student, talks with a patient through a tent outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Eudoria Lee, 4th year University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ medical student, passes out a drink with electrolytes to the homeless outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Lekha Chesnick, 1st year medical student at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, talks with a homeless man (whom choose to not give his name) outside of the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Christopher Vance, center, and Eudoria Lee, 4th year University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ medical students, help a homeless man with a foot injury outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
From left to right, Audrey Gentry, EMT, Andrew Good, 4th year A.T. Still University medical student, Lekha Chesnick, 1st year medical student at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Eric Lu, University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ undergrad, meet before heading to help the homeless outside of the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Christian Bergman, 4th year University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ medical student, takes the temperature of a patient outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Eric Lu, University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ undergrad, hands a mask to a homeless man outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Eudoria Lee, 4th year University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ medical student, passes out to-go food to the homeless outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Eudoria Lee, 4th year University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ medical student, picks up some to-go food from Lekha Chesnick, 1st year medical student at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Christopher Vance, 4th year University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ medical student, hands to-go food to a homeless man outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Allison Kath, graduate University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ pre-med student, sanitizes tables after helping with the homeless outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Allison Kath, left, graduate University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ pre-med student, and Eric Lu, University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ undergrad, walk through a parking lot after helping with the homeless outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.Â
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Medical staff and students gather outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on April 19, 2020 after helping serve food to the homeless.Â
UA worried about increases in COVID-19 cases nationally, preparing for virus testing blitz
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ officials are concerned after seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases nationally and locally just before the holidays.
UA administrators are urging students to participate in a testing blitz between Nov. 9-15 to prevent the spread of the virus if they plan to travel home or meet with family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Students will be required to complete a survey outlining their travel plans before Thanksgiving to determine how many students will complete the semester online away from campus, how many plan to return to campus after traveling and how many students don’t plan to travel for Thanksgiving.
After Thanksgiving, all classes will be fully online through the end of the semester, the UA said.
Seven gatherings of more than 100 people were reported to the campus area response team last week, six more than the previous week, the university said.
The university reported a 1.1% positivity rate from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1, with 79 positive cases out of 7,122 tests.
On Nov. 1, the university reported five positive cases out of 132 tests, a 3.8% positivity rate.
UA President Robert C. Robbins said the university plans to start the spring semester where it left off in November, unless COVID-19 cases in the area rise. Robbins is also working on a plan to make testing mandatory for everyone returning to campus in the spring, not just students who live on campus.
Dr. Richard Carmona, campus reentry task force director, said the university may also move to online-only classes in the spring if the increase in cases continues nationally and locally.
Medical students from the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and other universities volunteer to help the homeless population with the growing concerns of …
Contact reporter Stephanie Casanova at scasanova@tucson.com. On Twitter: @CasanovaReports
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Stephanie Casanova
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