Information on COVID-19 for the Huntsville/Madison County, Alabama community, including business resources.

November 10, 2021

Nov. 8 Zoom Call: Alabama Redistricting Latest, Hospital Update

This month our guests were Sam Givhan, local attorney and a State Senator for Alabama District 7, and Jeff Samz, Chief Executive Officer of Huntsville Hospital. Samz gave us an update on the latest COVID numbers in our community, all of which continue to drop. Givhan was able to speak on how the new district maps will be impacting our region.
November 5, 2021

Nov. 5 Zoom Call: New Rules from OSHA & CMS (Vaccine Mandate)

David Canupp, an Attorney with Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne, and Cindy Doty, a Human Resources Consultant with PassionHR Consulting, joined us to share updates on the new rules from OSHA and CMS regarding the vaccine mandate.
November 4, 2021

OSHA and CMS Vaccine Rules: Biden Administration Issues New Details

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is announcing the details of a requirement for employers with 100 or more employees to ensure each of their workers is fully vaccinated or tests for COVID-19 on at least a weekly basis. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Department of Health and Human Services is also announcing the details of its requirement that health care workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid are fully vaccinated.
November 1, 2021

Chamber Board Opposes Civil Liability Changes for Employers Following COVID Vaccine Mandates

The federal COVID vaccine mandates for federal contractors and employees have provoked a series of bills in the special legislative session called by Governor Ivey to redraw district lines for a number of elected offices. There are now more than 12 such bills in the Legislature that would create a civil liability nightmare for employers.
October 12, 2021

Oct. 12 Zoom Call: Legal Questions about the Vaccine Mandate, Round 2

We welcomed Richard Raleigh of Wilmer & Lee and Sarah Osborne of Bradley. We also thank two HR professionals, Tim Lingo of Aerojet Rocketdyne and Leah Sketo of Lockheed Martin Corporation, who joined us to share their perspectives on COVID-19 pandemic planning and response. December 8 is the deadline for federal contractors to be fully vaccinated. 
October 5, 2021

Oct. 5 Zoom Call: Legal Questions about the Vaccine Mandate

Our guests on October 5 were Chris Lockwood of Wilmer & Lee law firm, and Sarah Osborne of Bradley law firm. Both practice in Huntsville and work with federal contractors to answer various employment questions. They have both been fielding lots of questions about the vaccine mandate recently.
September 22, 2021

Sept. 21 Zoom Call: COVID Check-in

Dr. Wes Stubblefield of the Alabama Department of Public Health and Huntsville Hospital CEO Jeff Samz joined us on Sept. 21 for an update on the current COVID-19 numbers and protocols.
September 21, 2021

Contact Huntsville Hospital to host a vaccine event

Huntsville Hospital will offer COVID-19 vaccinations at your jobsite, and will bring first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine. There is a 25-person minimum, and you can include spouses and family members.
September 14, 2021

Huntsville Hospital Foundation Board launches Healthcare Heroes Fund

The new Healthcare Heroes Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation will support our local healthcare workers, providing meals, morale boosters, and emergency assistance funding for those personally affected by the virus through their jobs. Each tax-deductible gift directly supports healthcare heroes at Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, and Madison Hospital.
September 3, 2021

Huntsville Hospital CEO: 70K need to get vaccinated in Madison County

"We don't need a few people to get vaccinated. We need 70,000 people to go get vaccinated," Samz stressed. "The individual choices people are making in our community to not get vaccinated are having an impact on everyone."
August 24, 2021

Aug. 24 Zoom call: Hospital leader, employment lawyer share perspective

Our guests for this weekly Zoom call were Tracy Doughty, President and Chief Operating Officer of Huntsville Hospital, and John Wilmer, an employment lawyer with Wilmer & Lee. The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber currently hosts these calls every Tuesday at 2 […]
August 23, 2021

FDA gives full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

The FDA has given full approval to the Pfizer vaccine. More than 200 million Pfizer doses have been administered in the U.S., and hundreds of millions more worldwide, since emergency use began in December.
August 19, 2021

Aug. 17 Zoom Call: Madison County, Madison City Schools discuss new school year

Our guests for this week’s Zoom call are Dr. Mark Minskey, Deputy Superintendent of Madison County Schools, and Lee Shaw, Business Development Director for Madison City Schools. 
August 17, 2021

ADPH Recommends Additional COVID-19 Vaccine Doses for Certain People with Weakened Immune Systems

People with weakened immune systems are now eligible for an additional dose of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine following a primary mRNA vaccine series to help prevent serious and possibly life-threatening COVID-19. Health officials are not recommending booster vaccine doses for the general public and have not addressed the need for additional doses following the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine but is continuing to review the need for booster doses in this population.