Dear ICD-17 Florida Members,
I just wanted to touch bases with all of you and make sure that everyone is receiving accurate information and that your Florida ICD Board is here to help all our members during these very harsh unprecedented times.
Florida has been declared COVID-19 Emergency by Governor De’Santis- Please find attached Florida Executive Order 20-91.
Covid-19 Testing sites: The newest testing site located in Palm Beach at their baseball stadium opened today. Broward’s testing site is still running, as well as the Miami-Dade Marlins Park testing site and the recently opened Hard Rock Stadium testing site.
CDC officially issued a travel advisory for the NY and New Orleans area. There will be roadway checkpoints on I-95 South from Georgia. So please try not to travel to avoid long lines and unnecessary fuel consumption.
Congress just passed various programs and initiative to aide all small business owners during this financial crisis.
Visit the streamline process for The loan assistant for COVID-19 ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LOAN APPLICATION
https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#/
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is intended to assist business owners with whatever needs they have right now. (Please see attached documents). It also has a 401K relieve act that allows you to borrow money from your401K without penalty. It must be paid back in 3years to avoid taxes.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is making funding available for small businesses who are experiencing economic injury caused by COVID-19. Each qualifying business can apply for up to $2,000,000 in loan assistance. For more information, including how to apply, please visit
www.sba.gov/disaster
The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program is currently being made available as a source of short term, interest free (for the first year) working capital for qualifying businesses experiencing economic injury caused by COVID-19. More information is available at
https://floridadisasterloan.org
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. The Paycheck Protection Program will be available through June 30, 2020 but you may begin to apply as early as April 3rd, 2020 Through any existing SBA 7(a) lender or through any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, and Farm Credit System institution that is participating
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/paycheck-protection-program-ppp#section-header-0
I would also like to share some ideas that I have learned by taking various webinars from Professional Bank, West Coast District Dental Association, the Florida Dental Association and Spears Study club.
Unfortunately, we have a lot of down time and our staff is depending on us for guidance.
Set up routine conference calls or chats with them.
Create courses through your Spears Study Club Learning Center so they may learn certain treatments or new ideas.
Perfect time to review charts and sort out treatment plans not completed.
Placed your staff on Furlough so they may receive unemployment benefits from Florida and you may still have them assist you on those patients requiring emergency treatment- They will need to report the total hours worked at your office every week and remaining hours will be paid by the unemployment benefit.
We have a great meeting coming up in Orlando, at it will be an amazing time to refresh and share with all our colleagues all our Covid-19 unforeseen experiences. Please make sure to visit our ICD-17 website.
I want to personally thank all of you for sponsoring amazing candidates to be honored in becoming ICD Fellows. We have 43 new candidates, many are still waiting for a second letter of recommendation, so if you know any of them and are willing to be a sponsor- please do so by submitting that second letter so they can continue through the process.
Looking forward in seeing this awful virus become something in the past. Stay home and enjoy your family.
Sincerely,
Rodrigo Romano D.D.S, MS
Romanoperio and Associates, P.A.
Diplomate American Board of Periodontology
ICD USA Section District 17 Regent