On this Monday, April 13, episode of Sundial:
How are Florida prisons dealing with coronavirus?
As the coronavirus spreads across the country, Florida prisons hustle to implement sanitation procedures, social distancing within jail cells and accessing testing for inmates.
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“As of this moment the Florida Department of Corrections are isolating any inmates who have symptoms of COVID-19,” says WLRN’s Danny Rivero on Sundial.
In Florida, incarcerated people often work unpaid jobs like road maintenance, sewage treatment, and moving services for government buildings. This work could lead to coronavirus spreading within prisons.
Blackwater River Correctional Facility in the Panhandle has 40 confirmed cases and as more facilities across the state start testing, cases could increase.
Is enough being done to protect corrections staff and inmates? Rivero has been reporting on this subject and joined Sundial along with Kathie Klarreich, founder and executive director for Exchange for Change (E4C), a local nonprofit organization that teaches in writing South Florida prisons.
Are you making plans to write your will?
The Miami Herald recently reported on a surge of requests lawyers have received to write wills as people are confronted by the realization that they could be diagnosed with COVID-19.
“I started getting growing concerns in the early stages of the pandemic,” says Bruce Stone, a Miami-based attorney who deals with estate planning and writing wills. Stone talked to Luis Hernandez on Sundial about what people should consider during this time.
Non-profits struggle to survive during COVID-19
Non-profits have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are hearing from organizations that are going into their line of credit to see if they can even continue,” says Brad Hurlburt, President and CEO of Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. “Those organizations that are serving the most vulnerable are suffering.”
Many of these local organizations raise money to feed the homeless or advocate for social justice issues. They depend on the generosity of others and donations, but with millions filing for unemployment across the country, their funding has been hit hard.
On today’s program we gathered a panel of community foundation leaders across South Florida that are looking for ways to help non-profits survive this time. Guests: Lindsey Linzer, Senior Director of Programs and Grants Administration at the Miami Foundation; Linda Carter CEO of Community Foundation of Broward; And Brad Hurlburt, President and CEO of Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties.
WLRN Sundial producer Chris Remington and Sherrilyn Cabrera helped in the production of this episode.