Coronavirus and Meetings
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The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau
has unveiled the "PHL Health Pledge," a new initiative to increase awareness of
the destination's efforts to safely welcome back visitors and groups as the
city reopens for business. The bureau also named David Nash, MD, MBA, dean emeritus of the Jefferson
College of Population Health, to serve as chief health
advisor.
In his role, Nash will
provide advice and guidance to meeting and event planners, based on frequently updated public health guidelines, reports and protocols. He will also serve
as a CVB spokesperson on health and safety issues.
"I look forward to supporting
Philadelphia's tourism leaders in reviving this critical element to our city's
economy and livelihood," said Nash. "By instituting the proper public health
protocols, our hospitality industry should be able to safely and effectively
support and protect travelers when the time comes. I'm excited to work in
partnership with PHLCVB and their meeting-planner customers as they re-envision
the convention and visitor experience. By incorporating the already sound and
thoughtful guidelines presented by the Centers for Disease Control,
as well as state and local public health officials, I'm confident we can
develop a safe and healthy plan for all visitors."
Nash also will work closely
with the 18-member PHL Health
Advisors, a subcommittee of the bureau's PHL Life Sciences division and
its nursing leadership committee. PHL Health Advisors is composed of
experts in their respective fields, among them public health, infectious disease, medical research
and mental health; they will serve as resources and will update the bureau on
the latest medical information and local medical advancements in the fight
against COVID-19. The team will also serve as the bureau's internal review board
for public health and safety best practices and protocols.
"Ensuring the health and
safety of our visitors is paramount to our industry's and our city's recovery," said Gregg Caren,
president and CEO of PHLCVB. "This initiative will showcase our destination's
unstoppable ingenuity, leveraging our robust life sciences industry by drawing
upon their expertise to safely welcome visitors when the time is right."
Dr. Nash and the Health
Advisors subcommittee are key components of the PHL Health Pledge initiative,
which includes guidance for sanitation, cleanliness and increased public health
awareness for its members.
The initiative also offers
an aggregated list of safe-travel plans from national partners like the U.S. Travel Association, as well as many
local tourism partners, for review by potential visitors; a hospitality health
pledge that can be signed by CVB members and other local tourism-related
businesses to show their commitment to new health and safety standards; and ongoing training and support for the CVB's members, to keep
abreast of public health best practices.