Senator Bill Frist to Chair Mayor’s Covid-19 Response Fund

United Way of Greater Nashville to serve as nonprofit partner

Bill Frist

Metro Nashville Press Release, 3/17/2020 - In response to the public health emergency declared by the Metropolitan Board of Health on March 15, 2020, Mayor John Cooper, together with philanthropic, corporate, and government partners, has created the COVID-19 Response Fund at United Way of Greater Nashville. The Fund’s advisory committee will be chaired by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, MD.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, individuals and families throughout our community will be impacted. As bars and restaurants close or reduce their capacities, schools and childcare centers are unable to open, and businesses see diminished revenues, the economic effects will be immense, particularly for those living paycheck to paycheck. Many families still struggling to recover from the recent tornadoes will find their path to stable housing and financial stability even more challenging.

“We are deeply grateful to United Way and to our corporate and philanthropic partners for stepping up yet again to assist our neighbors who are hurting from the ripple effects of the current public health emergency,” Mayor John Cooper stated. “We urge everyone to assist each other while remaining vigilant to the limitations imposed by social distancing. One easy way to help those directly affected by the economic restrictions caused by the coronavirus is to provide monetary support to the COVID-19 Response Fund. For Nashville to rebound as quickly as possible, we need to be sure that all our local employees, particularly those in our entertainment and hospitality industry, have our support. This Fund has been created to help with that effort.”

The COVID-19 Response Fund was established to quickly and effectively address both the health and economic challenges of this virus. Chaired by former Senator Dr. Bill Frist, the Fund will rapidly deploy resources to community-based organizations, getting dollars to where they are needed most. The Fund will focus its initial allocations on helping our neighbors who are experiencing lost wages or who become ill from the virus receive the assistance they need to stay in their homes and keep food on the table.

The Fund will launch with more than $1 million, and any administrative overhead will be covered by generous philanthropic partners, thereby allowing 100% of the money raised for the Fund to directly benefit those in need. The first donation of $500,000 was made by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., whose hospitality industry partners are among the most impacted due to mandatory closures and other restrictions.

“I want to thank the Mayor for taking the lead on setting up this fund. Beyond everyone’s health, there is not a more pressing need in our community,” said Butch Spyridon, President and CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “It was an easy decision to step up and support efforts to bring relief to those who make our hospitality industry ‘work’ and the many others in need.”

Funds will be released on a rolling basis as fundraising continues throughout the outbreak and recovery phases of the crisis, making it possible to move resources rapidly and to adapt to evolving needs in subsequent funding phases. The advisory committee will work to get these dollars into the community quickly, funding nonprofit partners, community-based organizations and service providers working directly with those disproportionally impacted by this challenging landscape.

“This is new territory for the greater Nashville region and for the country. People are really going to be struggling to make ends meet and we want to do everything we can to show them that we are here to help. This is an opportunity for our community to come together and demonstrate that we believe in supporting each other in times of need. Nashville did just that in the days following the tornadoes and we can do it again as we face this new crisis,” said Brian Hassett, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Nashville.

Members of the advisory committee will work with the Mayor’s Office and United Way to quickly assess the needs and make rapid funding decisions to ensure a thorough and efficient process. The committee members will include:

• Angie Adams: President and CEO, PENCIL
• Katina Beard, MSPH: CEO Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center
• Maneet Chauhan and Vivek Deora: Founders and Partners of Morph Hospitality
• Robert Dittus, MD., MPH: Director of Institute for Medicine and Public Health
• Mary Falls: Senior Advisor, Office of Mayor John Cooper
• Sen. Bill Frist, MD (Chair)
• Joe Galante: Chair CMA Foundation Board, former CEO and chair of Sony Music Nashville Pastor Robert Gardenhire, Minister Schrader Lane Church of Christ
• Wanda Lyle: Managing Director - General Manager UBS Business Solutions Center Nashville
• Rob Mortenson: President/CEO TN Hospitality Association
• Juliana Ospina Cano: Executive Director, Conexion Americas
• Brad Rayson: President SEIU Local 205
• Butch Spyridon: President and CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation
• Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI: VP for Health Equity, Vanderbilt University, Executive Director Meharry Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance

For more information about the COVID-19 Response Fund, or to make a donation, visit http://unitedwaynashville.org/covid-19.

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