Video Call with Florida Leaders to Demand Trump and DeSantis Manage Health Crisis Before Reopening t

April 18, 2020

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, APRIL 20TH AT 9:30 AM***

Video Call with Florida Leaders to Demand Trump and DeSantis Manage Health Crisis Before Reopening the Economy 

On Monday, April 20th at 9:30 a.m., U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, former Secretary of Health and Human Services, State Senator Lori Berman, Vice Chair of the Committee on Health Policy, Dr. Brent Schillinger, past President of Palm Beach County Medical Society, and Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo, will join a video conference to discuss the critical need for President Trump and Governor DeSantis to ensure that the health crisis is under control before reopening the economy, highlighting the importance of mass testing. 

WHAT: Virtual news conference to urge Trump and DeSantis to take the necessary steps to manage the coronavirus pandemic before reopening the economy, including instituting a national mass testing system. 

WHEN: Monday, April 20th, 9:30 a.m. 

WHO: 

Donna Shalala, U.S. Representative for Florida’s 27th Congressional District and former Secretary of Health and Human Services;

Lori Berman, State Senator for District 31 and Vice Chair of the Committee on Health Policy; 

Dr. Brent Schillinger, former president of the Palm Beach County Medical Society;

Terrie Rizzo, Florida Democratic Party Chair

BACKGROUND: Public health experts, including Trump’s own CDC and FEMA, are clear that mass testing is the only way to safely re-open the economy. On Thursday, Trump released new guidelines for states to relax their social distancing policies, but it does not include a plan to ramp up testing nationally. Meanwhile, Florida is not counting the number of backlogged tests from private labs, though they account for 90% of testing in the state, preventing epidemiologists from accurately predicting the spread of COVID-19 in the state.