Mayors Berke and Coppinger announce COVID-19 Joint Task Force
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke and Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger announced the formation of the COVID-19 Joint Task Force to help coordinate the City and County’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Task Force, which will be led by Rae Young Bond, CEO of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, will bring together leading medical and healthcare professionals to brief the mayors and offer recommendations that will inform, coordinate, and strengthen local response efforts.
“In the midst of an unprecedented pandemic like this one, it’s never been more important that we listen to experts. Mayor Coppinger and I feel the best way to continue to make our community as safe and healthy as possible is to bring everyone together,” Mayor Berke said. “Our goal is to give our community timely, informed updates about our vulnerable populations, how our medical facilities are preparing, and other information related to the spread of the virus in our area.”
Members of the Task Force will meet weekly and brief Mayor Berke and Mayor Coppinger on the latest developments regionally and nationally on COVID-19 testing and treatment, and report on the ground activity in local hospitals, medical facilities, and testing locations.
“In an emergency situation like this there is no county or city divide, we’re all one community,” Mayor Coppinger added. “It’s vital we keep our residents safe and healthy, and bringing together the best subject-matter experts in our local healthcare industry will help Mayor Berke and I do that.”
The Joint Task Force will also provide medically informed recommendations on best steps local governments can take to support local hospitals and their staff, and protect the public against the spread of COVID-19.
“We are all working around the clock to keep our community safe,” Bond said. “This Task Force brings all the brightest minds into one setting and it will allow us to provide more detailed information to our community on this rapidly changing situation.”
The Task Force is patterned after similar efforts in neighboring cities where subject matter expertise is sought to ensure that leadership’s decisions are informed by science and driven by conditions on the ground.
The Task Force’s first meeting will be Tuesday, March 31, and meeting notes will be provided to the public at cha.city/covid.
TASK FORCE MEMBERS:
- Dr. Kelly Arnold - Founder & Clinical Director, Clinica Medicos
- Becky Barnes - Hamilton County Health Department Administrator
- Dr. Matt Gibson - President & CEO, Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation
- Dr. Timothy Grant - Chief Medical Officer, Parkridge Health System
- Dr. Martina Suttles Harris - Assistant Dean of Nursing & Allied Health at Chattanooga State Community College
- Dr. Gregory Heath - Guerry Professor of Public Health, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
- Dr. Keith Helton - CEO, One to One Health
- Dr. William Jackson - President & CEO, Erlanger Health System
- Dr. Robert Magill - Chief of Staff, Parkridge Health System
- Angel Moore Esq. - Vice President of Population Health & CEO, Erlanger Community Health Center
- Tom Ozburn - President & CEO, Parkridge Health System
- Janelle Reilly - CEO, CHI Memorial Hospital
- Dr. Colleen Schmitt - President, Galen Medical Group
- Dr. James Sizemore - Chief of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, UTCOM Chattanooga and Medical Director, Infection Prevention, Erlanger Health System
- Dr. Christopher Young -Vice Chief of Staff, Erlanger Health System