Prince George’s Forward Task Force Brings First Recommendations Towards Life Beyond Covid- 19. Here Are Some Of The Highlights.

Compiled By D.A. Phillips

The Prince George’s Forward Task Force is sharing its first recommendations to return the County to a better and stronger community as it works to move beyond the Coronavirus pandemic. In comments discussing the task force, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks stated, “I’ve tapped a number of key leaders and subject matter experts to help us reimagine our county’s future as we work to recover from this pandemic. Our Prince George’s Forward Task Force will guide our community’s recovery with recommendations based on a foundation of data and innovation…”

The Prince George’s Forward Task Force is co- chaired by Dr. Charlene Dukes, Former President, Prince George’s Community College; David Velazquez, President and CEO, Pepco Holdings; and William von Hoene, Jr. Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Exelon Corporation. Five sub-subcommittees comprise the task force.

1. Human and Social Services Recovery Subcommittee, Rosie Allen-Herring, Chair

2. Economic Recovery Subcommittee, Thomas Graham, Chair

3. Education Recovery Subcommittee, Dr. Darryll Pines, PhD, Chair

4. Government Operations Subcommittee, The Honorable Martin O’Malley, Chair

5. Health Recovery Subcommittee, Dr. Joseph Wright, MD, Chair

Each sub-committee presented a list of recommendations toward moving forward in the county. In this initial report, committees focused on recommendations that can be implemented now even as the COVID-19 pandemic still looms. Below are a few of those from each group:

From the Human and Social Services Recovery Subcommittee:

Formalize Partnerships for Community Engagement: Enhance and strengthen pre-existing partnership between Prince George’s County agencies and partners to consolidate and collaborate efforts.

Food Distribution Coordination: Expand information gathering to manage and map residents in need of food and have a czar work with existing programs servicing older residents and people with disabilities
Know the Facts- Eviction Public Service Announcement (PSA): Push for a longer moratorium with clear guidelines and directives for landlords and tenants. Identify and involve private-sector landlords who have set a good example to participate in the PSA. Consider federal money for emergency short-term relief. Develop further guidelines for homeowner eviction relief.

From the Economic Recovery Subcommittee:

Green Book Campaign: Promote the Green Book as a one-stop shop for small and minority-owned businesses to find resources and services for navigating the contract procurement process for public and private bids.
Expand Technical Business/Assistance Support: Provide small and minority-owned businesses with reopening resources, access to federal and state stimulus and capital, and technical assistance with various applications and track applicant outcomes.
FastTrack Shovel Ready Projects: Fast Track fully funded projects that are close to the finish line (will start construction between Q2-Q4 2020). Implementation of this recommendation will demonstrate that the county is "open for business," especially in targeted areas where future placemaking opportunities are available for additional investment.

From the Education Recovery Subcommittee:

Bridging the Digital Divide: Ensure that every Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) household has internet connectivity.
Anytime, Anyplace Learning: Record classes for students for review at any time, allowing students to review difficult material multiple times and make up for missed class time outside normal school hours. Include content other than normal curriculum learning to encourage students to explore other interests
Digital Empowerment Program: Develop a coordinated communications campaign aimed at reaching out to all families, particularly those that are underserved and hardest to reach.

From the Government Operations Subcommittee:

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Enhance Remove Work Policies: Revise the county's current remote work policy to include flexible, alternate and telework; implement the new policy; and provide training for managers and employees.
Digitization of County Files, Correspondence and Services: Transition from the use of hard copy documents and files and eliminate collecting hard copy documents from customers to better enable remote work within the County
Conduct Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) training for county employees: Train County agency representatives on Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) online planning system so they may support completion of their agency-specific COOP.

From the Health Recovery Subcommittee:

Support Our Healthcare Workers: Identify and implement an infectious-disease safety training program for employees engaged in inpatient care. Provide training during onboarding and for existing employees.
Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) Preparedness Program: Establish the requirement of PPE for the county’s stockpile; establish streamlined procedures with timelines for acquiring and distributing PPE; establish a matrix on appropriate PPE acquisition.
Establish Agreement for Quarantine Facility(ies): Establish a Memorandum of Understanding for a hotel facility to be utilized as a quarantine facility during an emergency.

Click here for upcoming meetings.

Stay tuned and engaged https://princegeorgesforward.com/