npr--2020-05-13--Act Now To Get Ahead Of A Mental Health Crisis, Specialists Advise U.S.

Act Now To Get Ahead Of A Mental Health Crisis , Specialists Advise U.S .
Mental health specialists are working now to bolster the resilience of Americans who are suffering from feelings of despair — in hopes of preventing increases in suicides among people who are under increased pressure during the coronavirus pandemic .
Time is of the essence , public health researchers say .
Experience with past natural disasters , such as earthquakes and hurricanes , shows that a rise in suicide often happens in the months after the immediate physical dangers of the disaster have passed .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foundations that support mental health issues estimates that , unless steps are taken now , the increase in `` deaths of despair '' from alcohol , drugs and suicide could increase by 75,000 as a result of COVID-19 .
`` Undeniably , policymakers must place a large focus on mitigating the effects of COVID , '' says Benjamin F. Miller , chief strategy officer of the Well Being Trust , which published the report in conjunction with the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care .
`` However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the collateral damage — specifically our nation 's mental health — we will not come out of this stronger . ''
Fortunately , there are ways to mitigate those risks now , say psychologists and suicide survivors .
For example , they urge elected leaders to make it easier for people who are suffering to get access to mental health care — whether or not they are employed .
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention , for example , is now coordinating with other groups in a `` National Response to COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the head of the National Institute of Mental Health and former Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy , aims to better coordinate and publicize mental health resources for those who are particularly vulnerable right now .
J , for example , is a 33-year-old wife , mother and social worker for whom mysterious illness is a trigger for suicidal thinking .
A decade ago , a rare hormonal disease ravaged her body , and she spent years misdiagnosed .
That experience nearly broke her emotionally , and she attempted suicide twice .
The pandemic made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down with symptoms of COVID-19 but could n't get access to testing or care .
`` We 're in rural Montana , so there 's basically one place I can go , '' says J .
But it was Good Friday , so the clinic was closed , and she was n't sure where to get tested .
J was already laden with anxiety ; she worried her hours as a social worker might be cut , leaving her counseling clients without help .
( For professional reasons , J asked that NPR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I 'm dealing with all these new stressors , and there it is : For the first time in years now , I 'm feeling suicidal myself . ''
J slept , letting the horrible , familiar feelings recede .
She later reached out to friends — a formula that works for her .
Eventually , she tested negative for the virus .
But for many other people , the pandemic has changed some of their usual coping mechanisms .
`` The normal avenues of help are n't necessarily there , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , photographer and suicide-prevention activist .
Stage is looking for a new therapist after hers stopped practicing recently but is finding that many are n't taking new patients .
`` It 's already hard to find a therapist who does sliding scale payments or takes insurance , '' but the pandemic has made it even harder to find one , she says .
So Stage and other survivors have other recommendations for people looking for help : • Connect online : See friends and family by Zoom or phone .
Feeling understood and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
• Adjust your medications if necessary : Make sure you 're on the right medication and the right amount .
Many psychiatrists are taking advantage of relaxed rules from insurers regarding telemedicine , so they are still able to meet remotely with patients and can adjust medication as needed during those appointments .
• Seek teletherapy or group therapy : Teletherapy has seen massive growth for those who can find providers .
Also , support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous are meeting online .
• Make a safety plan : Discuss with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — specific measures they can take or not take when you 're in crisis .
Lock up any guns ; store ammunition in a separate place .
`` I have friends who struggle with suicidal thoughts but who are generally pretty solid who are saying , ' I 've had to put my guns away .
I never have to put my guns away , but my guns are in a safe right now , ' `` Stage says .
• Develop a new routine : Quarantine has disrupted daily life , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , healthy eating and exercise are helpful .
This brings focus to the day and is helpfully distracting from thoughts of hopelessness and anxiety .
• Seek financial help : If you 've lost a job or you 're worried about paying bills , do what you can to address that .
See if you qualify for things like unemployment benefits , which have been increased by $ 600 a week for those who lost jobs because of the pandemic .
Some banks and landlords are giving breaks on late mortgages and rent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your loans .
Averting the public health crisis of increased suicide attempts is a big and complex challenge .
The pandemic has touched off many risk factors all at once , including joblessness , addiction and profound isolation .
Suicide experts have studied the effects of trauma , from hurricanes Katrina and Ike to the Great Recession , but this pandemic — with its global geographic and psychosocial reach — could be particularly sweeping , they say .
`` The two most replicated , robust factors linked to suicide are economic change — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Dr. Roger McIntyre , professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto .
Those two factors are major hallmarks , he notes , of the COVID-19 pandemic .
McIntyre and his team this week published online in the journal World Psychiatry their research estimate of how the current pandemic and its economic constraints could affect some people .
`` If , in fact , the unemployment rate is 10 to 20 percent , we came out at a staggering statistic of over 8,000 additional suicides over and above what would have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives , '' McIntyre told NPR .
And of course that rate had already been climbing in recent years .
So prevention advocates are doubling down .
But addressing suicide is no simple task — it has complex roots .
During the housing crisis and Great Recession a dozen years ago , suicides spiked , for example , but not for a single reason , says Dr. Joshua Gordon , director of the National Institute of Mental Health .
Though taking one 's own life is often linked to depression or other mental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case .
In looking at data about suicide attempts from those days , Gordon says , `` You can see that it 's not just about the eviction .
It 's not just about the foreclosure .
Most of them have a range of five to 10 other significant adverse events in their lives — many of them financial , but also personal and social — that raise one 's risk . ''
Whether you 're grieving the recent loss of someone or dealing with difficulties at home , call someone and talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feeling , Gordon and other mental health experts advise .
Even small steps like texting someone you know can have a positive impact .
Anja Burcak , who is 25 and lives in Mobile , Ala. , says she has been able to manage her bipolar disorder through the pandemic by leaning on her online circle of friends .
Many have survived suicide attempts themselves and are helping each other now .
`` People unite more , '' she says .
`` I know physically we literally can not do that , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't called in years . ''

Act Now To Get Ahead Of A Mental Health Crisis, Specialists Advise U.S.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Fanatic Studio/Gary Waters/Getty Images Fanatic Studio/Gary Waters/Getty Images
Mental health specialists are working now to bolster the resilience of Americans who are suffering from feelings of despair — in hopes of preventing increases in suicides among people who are under increased pressure during the coronavirus pandemic.
Time is of the essence, public health researchers say. Experience with past natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, shows that a rise in suicide often happens in the months after the immediate physical dangers of the disaster have passed.
A report jointly published last week by two foundations that support mental health issues estimates that, unless steps are taken now, the increase in "deaths of despair" from alcohol, drugs and suicide could increase by 75,000 as a result of COVID-19.
"Undeniably, policymakers must place a large focus on mitigating the effects of COVID," says Benjamin F. Miller, chief strategy officer of the Well Being Trust, which published the report in conjunction with the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care. "However, if the country continues to ignore the collateral damage — specifically our nation's mental health — we will not come out of this stronger."
Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate those risks now, say psychologists and suicide survivors. For example, they urge elected leaders to make it easier for people who are suffering to get access to mental health care — whether or not they are employed.
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, for example, is now coordinating with other groups in a "National Response to COVID-19." The campaign, co-led by the head of the National Institute of Mental Health and former Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, aims to better coordinate and publicize mental health resources for those who are particularly vulnerable right now.
J, for example, is a 33-year-old wife, mother and social worker for whom mysterious illness is a trigger for suicidal thinking. A decade ago, a rare hormonal disease ravaged her body, and she spent years misdiagnosed. That experience nearly broke her emotionally, and she attempted suicide twice.
The pandemic made that trauma vivid again when she came down with symptoms of COVID-19 but couldn't get access to testing or care.
"We're in rural Montana, so there's basically one place I can go," says J. But it was Good Friday, so the clinic was closed, and she wasn't sure where to get tested.
J was already laden with anxiety; she worried her hours as a social worker might be cut, leaving her counseling clients without help. (For professional reasons, J asked that NPR use only her first initial.)
"I'm dealing with all these new stressors, and there it is: For the first time in years now, I'm feeling suicidal myself."
J slept, letting the horrible, familiar feelings recede. She later reached out to friends — a formula that works for her. Eventually, she tested negative for the virus.
But for many other people, the pandemic has changed some of their usual coping mechanisms.
"The normal avenues of help aren't necessarily there," says Dese'Rae Stage, a Philadelphia writer, photographer and suicide-prevention activist. Stage is looking for a new therapist after hers stopped practicing recently but is finding that many aren't taking new patients. "It's already hard to find a therapist who does sliding scale payments or takes insurance," but the pandemic has made it even harder to find one, she says.
So Stage and other survivors have other recommendations for people looking for help:
Connect online: See friends and family by Zoom or phone. Feeling understood and sharing feelings of pain can help alleviate it.
See friends and family by Zoom or phone. Feeling understood and sharing feelings of pain can help alleviate it. Adjust your medications if necessary: Make sure you're on the right medication and the right amount. Many psychiatrists are taking advantage of relaxed rules from insurers regarding telemedicine, so they are still able to meet remotely with patients and can adjust medication as needed during those appointments.
Make sure you're on the right medication and the right amount. Many psychiatrists are taking advantage of relaxed rules from insurers regarding telemedicine, so they are still able to meet remotely with patients and can adjust medication as needed during those appointments. Seek teletherapy or group therapy: Teletherapy has seen massive growth for those who can find providers. Also, support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous are meeting online.
Teletherapy has seen massive growth for those who can find providers. Also, support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous are meeting online. Make a safety plan : Discuss with family or partners what works for you — specific measures they can take or not take when you're in crisis. Lock up any guns; store ammunition in a separate place. "I have friends who struggle with suicidal thoughts but who are generally pretty solid who are saying, 'I've had to put my guns away. I never have to put my guns away, but my guns are in a safe right now,' " Stage says.
Discuss with family or partners what works for you — specific measures they can take or not take when you're in crisis. Lock up any guns; store ammunition in a separate place. "I have friends who struggle with suicidal thoughts but who are generally pretty solid who are saying, 'I've had to put my guns away. I never have to put my guns away, but my guns are in a safe right now,' " Stage says. Develop a new routine: Quarantine has disrupted daily life, so developing new patterns that foster good sleep, healthy eating and exercise are helpful. This brings focus to the day and is helpfully distracting from thoughts of hopelessness and anxiety.
Quarantine has disrupted daily life, so developing new patterns that foster good sleep, healthy eating and exercise are helpful. This brings focus to the day and is helpfully distracting from thoughts of hopelessness and anxiety. Seek financial help: If you've lost a job or you're worried about paying bills, do what you can to address that. See if you qualify for things like unemployment benefits, which have been increased by $600 a week for those who lost jobs because of the pandemic. Some banks and landlords are giving breaks on late mortgages and rent; lenders will sometimes renegotiate terms of your loans.
Averting the public health crisis of increased suicide attempts is a big and complex challenge. The pandemic has touched off many risk factors all at once, including joblessness, addiction and profound isolation. Suicide experts have studied the effects of trauma, from hurricanes Katrina and Ike to the Great Recession, but this pandemic — with its global geographic and psychosocial reach — could be particularly sweeping, they say.
"The two most replicated, robust factors linked to suicide are economic change — downturn — and social disconnection," says Dr. Roger McIntyre, professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Those two factors are major hallmarks, he notes, of the COVID-19 pandemic.
McIntyre and his team this week published online in the journal World Psychiatry their research estimate of how the current pandemic and its economic constraints could affect some people.
"If, in fact, the unemployment rate is 10 to 20 percent, we came out at a staggering statistic of over 8,000 additional suicides over and above what would have been expected if COVID never came into our lives," McIntyre told NPR.
And of course that rate had already been climbing in recent years.
So prevention advocates are doubling down. But addressing suicide is no simple task — it has complex roots.
During the housing crisis and Great Recession a dozen years ago, suicides spiked, for example, but not for a single reason, says Dr. Joshua Gordon, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Though taking one's own life is often linked to depression or other mental illness, that's not always the case.
In looking at data about suicide attempts from those days, Gordon says, "You can see that it's not just about the eviction. It's not just about the foreclosure. Most of them have a range of five to 10 other significant adverse events in their lives — many of them financial, but also personal and social — that raise one's risk."
Whether you're grieving the recent loss of someone or dealing with difficulties at home, call someone and talk to that person about what you're feeling, Gordon and other mental health experts advise. Even small steps like texting someone you know can have a positive impact.
Anja Burcak, who is 25 and lives in Mobile, Ala., says she has been able to manage her bipolar disorder through the pandemic by leaning on her online circle of friends. Many have survived suicide attempts themselves and are helping each other now.
"People unite more," she says. "I know physically we literally cannot do that, but they might be calling people they haven't called in years."


npr--2020-05-13--U.S. Races To Increase Domestic Production Of Swabs For Coronavirus Testing

U.S .
Races To Increase Domestic Production Of Swabs For Coronavirus Testing There were early warnings of COVID-19 testing supply @ @ @ @ @ .
The federal government took until late April to ramp up domestic production .
Will @ @ @ @ @ catch up to demand ?

U.S. Races To Increase Domestic Production Of Swabs For Coronavirus Testing
There were early warnings of COVID-19 testing supply shortages, such as swabs. The federal government took until late April to ramp up domestic production. Will the U.S. be able to catch up to demand?
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
We've been hearing that a shortage of supplies has limited our coronavirus testing capacity even though widespread testing is key to reopening the U.S. economy. So this week, the White House announced a plan to get more supplies to states to expand that testing. Sacha Pfeiffer, of NPR's investigations team, has been looking into the breakdown.
Sacha, welcome.
SACHA PFEIFFER, BYLINE: Thanks for having me.
MARTIN: So these testing kits involve things as simple as a swab. But as you explained on All Things Considered yesterday, swabs for coronavirus testing are somewhat specialized. Right?
PFEIFFER: That's right. They're considered medical devices. They have to be long and flexible enough to go all the way through your nose to the back of your throat. And since cotton can interfere with test results, they're instead made with a synthetic material, like polyester.
MARTIN: So this is not what you run to the drugstore to get. This is something totally different than that.
PFEIFFER: Right, exactly. And it turns out that there had only been two major manufacturers of these swabs. One is a company in Maine called Puritan Medical Products. The other is a company in Italy called Copan Diagnostics. When COVID-19 hit and demand for swabs skyrocketed, these companies got overwhelmed. Here's Puritan spokesman Timothy Templet.
TIMOTHY TEMPLET: I don't think the United States was prepared. That includes us, Puritan. And it includes our customers. And it includes the government. And now it's just really nerve-wracking to think that we may be in this for another couple of years.
MARTIN: So when he says the government wasn't prepared, Sacha, what should have happened? What could the government have done? What could it be doing now to address the shortage of swabs?
PFEIFFER: It could have been stockpiling them, but it was not. Swabs are not part of the strategic national stockpile, which is basically a federal warehouse of medical supplies. The government does have the Defense Production Act. That's the tool the Trump administration used in late March to require General Motors to produce more ventilators. But the administration did not act as quickly to use that tool for swab shortages, and that's even though some people were advising that. The governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, told NPR on April 16 that weeks before, he had urged President Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act for that very purpose.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
JAY INSLEE: To convert some of their production to swabs and contact vials and machines that can do analysis. And he did not agree with that assessment. And we lost weeks, frankly.
MARTIN: Let's talk through the timeline of this shortage. Governor Inslee spoke with President Trump more than a month ago. Was the federal government warned about a shortage of swabs before that?
PFEIFFER: We know that on February 12, a group of health experts told a U.S. Senate committee that the country had a testing supply problem. That was at a hearing on pandemic preparedness. More than a month later, on March 16, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb put out a tweet that said swabs could be a weak link in broadening testing. The next day, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo told CNN that, quote, "the problem is swabs." And in mid-March, there were other public distress calls about supply shortages.
MARTIN: So there were warnings back in February and March. Did the government respond to those at all?
PFEIFFER: In mid-March, the government did start flying shipments of swabs from Italy to the U.S., but that still didn't meet demand. In mid-April, complaints were still happening about shortages. On April 19, President Trump said he would use the Defense Production Act to ramp up swab production. Then, on April 29, the government said Puritan in Maine had been awarded a $75 million contract to produce more swabs. And just this week, as we said, the White House promised to provide supplies to help states meet testing goals.
MARTIN: So will all of this be enough to meet the current demand?
PFEIFFER: It's hard to say because it's difficult to get consensus on how much testing should be happening and how many swabs are needed. I say that because the president of the American Society for Microbiology, Dr. Robin Patel, told me that her group asked to speak with Dr. Deborah Birx's team on the White House Coronavirus Task Force in mid-April. Patel's group wanted to find out what was being done to address testing supply shortages. Turns out, the White House was trying to figure out the same thing. Here's how Patel said that unfolded.
ROBIN PATEL: Something happened that was very surprising. First of all, Ambassador Birx has very good insight into the challenges that are happening. But what they did is they turned around and they asked the American Society for Microbiology to help with this situation. That's not why we were there. We were there asking for information.
PFEIFFER: So Patel's group gave the task force its feedback. She told me the pandemic is complicated and we all need to work together to solve it.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
PATEL: We are pleased to be able to help, but we were not there to volunteer to help. That was what was surprising was the ask back to us.
PFEIFFER: And Rachel, her experience makes clear that nearly three months into the pandemic, the Trump administration was still struggling to understand the shortage of swabs and other test supplies and how to fix it.
MARTIN: OK. So let's focus on the now. What options do we have at this point?
PFEIFFER: Well, the FDA has approved more types of swabs. An Ohio company is converting a plant to make swabs. The FDA has also approved a saliva test that doesn't require a swab. And there's this week's White House promise of more test supplies, although the government said it wants to focus on high-risk communities like nursing homes. So it's unclear how widespread testing will ever be in the U.S.
MARTIN: Sacha Pfeiffer of NPR's investigations team. Thank you, Sacha.
PFEIFFER: You're welcome.
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npr--2020-05-13--With Old GOP Consensus Changed, Senate Set To Resume Debate On FISA

With Old GOP Consensus Changed , Senate Set To Resume Debate On FISA The Senate is expected to take up three domestic surveillance tools used in national security investigations this week , reviving debate over the provisions two months after letting them expire .
The tussle over renewing the authorities is part of a larger political fight over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act , or FISA , that dates back years but became a headliner during the Russia investigation—even though the tools that expired are not linked to that probe .
The surveillance powers that lapsed are known as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provisions .
Lawmakers wrote expiration dates into earlier laws authorizing these kinds of surveillance , requiring action in order for them to be sustained .
The intelligence community argues that the tools are important in helping federal authorities stop potential terrorists and combat foreign spies .
Privacy advocates say lawmakers should impose greater protections for civil liberties in any re-authorization .
The provisions expired on March 15 because of congressional inaction , in part because lawmakers were focused at the time on passing coronavirus relief legislation .
Attorney General William Barr and Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobbied majority Republicans in the Senate on behalf of passage , but too few senators were sold and they let the surveillance provisions go dormant .
The House , however , did manage to cobble together and pass a bipartisan FISA measure in March to renew the surveillance authorities .
That compromise legislation included a number of changes , including new privacy protections and the removal of a controversial phone metadata program .
It also would impose penalties on officials who lie to the secretive court that oversees national security surveillance , known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a few others were meant to address some of the problems identified by the Justice Department inspector general in the FBI 's surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page during the Russia investigation .
The reauthorization stalled in the Senate , however , in the face of opposition from several senators , including Utah Republican Mike Lee and Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy , who feel the House reforms did n't go far enough .
Now , as part of an agreement McConnell struck in March , the Senate is poised to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including several amendments proposed by lawmakers demanding more sweeping changes to the law .
It remains unclear where President Trump , who would have to sign into law anything Congress passes , stands on FISA reauthorization .
He expressed displeasure with aspects of the legislation before the matter was set aside in March .

With Old GOP Consensus Changed, Senate Set To Resume Debate On FISA
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP Patrick Semansky/AP
The Senate is expected to take up three domestic surveillance tools used in national security investigations this week, reviving debate over the provisions two months after letting them expire.
The tussle over renewing the authorities is part of a larger political fight over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that dates back years but became a headliner during the Russia investigation — even though the tools that expired are not linked to that probe.
The surveillance powers that lapsed are known as the business records, lone wolf and roving-wiretap provisions.
Lawmakers wrote expiration dates into earlier laws authorizing these kinds of surveillance, requiring action for them to be sustained.
The intelligence community argues that the tools are important in helping federal authorities stop potential terrorists and combat foreign spies. Privacy advocates say lawmakers should impose greater protections for civil liberties in any reauthorization.
The provisions expired on March 15 because of congressional inaction, in part because lawmakers were focused at the time on passing coronavirus relief legislation.
Attorney General William Barr and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., lobbied majority Republicans in the Senate on behalf of passage, but too few senators were sold, and they let the surveillance provisions go dormant.
The House of Representatives, however, managed to cobble together and pass a bipartisan FISA measure in March to renew the surveillance authorities. That compromise legislation included a number of changes, including new privacy protections and the removal of a controversial phone metadata program.
It also would impose penalties on officials who lie to the secretive court that oversees national security surveillance, known as the FISA Court.
That change and a few others were meant to address some of the problems the Justice Department inspector general identified in the FBI's surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page during the Russia investigation.
The reauthorization stalled in the Senate, however, in the face of opposition from several senators, including Utah Republican Mike Lee and Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, who feel the House reforms didn't go far enough.
Now, as part of an agreement McConnell struck in March, the Senate is poised to resume debate on the FISA provisions, including several amendments that lawmakers proposed demanding more sweeping changes to the law.
It remains unclear where President Trump, who would have to sign into law anything Congress passes, stands on FISA reauthorization. He expressed displeasure with aspects of the legislation before the matter was set aside in March.


npr--2020-05-13--'Mamá, I'm Still Hungry': In Puerto Rico, Child Hunger Becomes A Flashpoint

'Mamá , I 'm Still Hungry ' : In Puerto Rico , Child Hunger Becomes A Flashpoint It had n't been easy , but before the pandemic Elia Gonzalez had always managed to keep her family fed by stretching her food stamps and her partner 's modest income as a D.J .
at bars around Puerto Rico 's capital , San Juan .
That changed in mid-March , when those bars closed and her daughter 's school , where she 'd gotten free breakfast and lunch , did too .
By April 20 , the kitchen cabinet was almost empty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is undocumented and does not qualify for unemployment , went four days without eating so they 'd have enough food for the children until Gonzalez 's next monthly food stamps benefit landed on her EBT card in early May .
Still , by the end of April , all she had left for the children was rice with a little egg mixed in .
Her sons , shy 4 and 5-year-olds , would ask for more .
But her oldest , Angellia , a talkative , curly-haired kindergartener , tried to reassure her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I 'm still hungry ' , '' Gonzalez said , `` but she told me it was okay because she was big and could wait until I got more food .
That hit me hard . ''
The coronavirus emergency has worsened hunger nationally , with recent polling finding that one in five U.S. households ca n't afford enough to eat .
But Puerto Rico 's rates of food insecurity have been higher than that since long before the pandemic .
The U.S. territory has a higher poverty rate than any state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institute of Statistics in 2015 found that 22 percent of adults reported skipping meals or eating smaller portions because they did n't have money for food .
That was before the island 's bankruptcy , a string of natural disasters , and now the coronavirus lockdown , which closed businesses but also the schools that provided two daily meals to a majority of Puerto Rico 's schoolchildren .
`` And so it 's not an exaggeration to say that hunger in Puerto Rico right now is probably much higher than it was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an economist at the University of Puerto Rico 's campus in the city of Cayey .
He estimates that the pandemic has driven the island 's unemployment rate to an astounding 46 percent .
`` And the average saving rate here is zero .
So if you have a social crisis like this , people do n't have that buffer during the lockdown . ''
In recent days , it 's a fight over the shuttered school cafeterias that has brought the issue of hunger on the island – and specifically childhood hunger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vázquez earned early praise for taking aggressive steps to combat the coronavirus .
But after closing schools on March 16 , she refused to allow their cafeterias to continue providing free lunches to children , as they have in most communities in the U.S .
The governor initially said she feared exposing cafeteria workers to the virus .
Many of those workers are older women .
But as the lockdown dragged on , as bureaucratic hurdles delayed the arrival of federal stimulus and unemployment payments , and as the local government struggled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applications , people 's patience wore thin .
On social media , stories circulated about people like Elia Gonzalez who had run out of food for their children .
One mother , Genesis Montañez , wrote to her son 's teacher that all she had for her kids was water .
Parents and politicians demanded the cafeterias reopen .
Cafeteria employees said that with proper protective equipment , they were willing to go back to work .
Activists sued and announced a protest of cars winding through the streets of San Juan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying a limited number of cafeterias would be allowed to reopen the following week .
The island 's 78 mayors would coordinate delivery of the meals to children who needed them .
`` Public opinion really forced the government to reconsider its decision and reopen the lunch rooms , '' said Denise Santos , president of the Puerto Rico Food Bank .
She said that after the schools closed , she was inundated with more requests for food for children than the food bank could meet .
`` Most Puerto Ricans live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks without any income made the situation very urgent for a lot of families . ''
The first 80 cafeterias opened on May 6 , and it was a fitful start .
Many mayors reported that the island 's education department delivered far less food than they needed or had requested .
Others , like the mayor of the coastal town of Loíza , postponed meal distributions until this week rather than risk having to turn children away .
Several cafeteria workers screened for COVID-19 tested positive , delaying the opening of at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the island 's education secretary , Eligio Hernández , said his department had opened another 28 cafeterias this week and was preparing nearly 64,000 lunches a day .
He also said families in some rural towns could sign up to have nonperishable food mailed to their homes .
But criticism has not subsided .
`` The government has only served 10 percent of children , '' said Giovanni Roberto , a prominent anti-hunger activist who runs a small network of community soup kitchens , known as comedores sociales .
`` Our demands are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and serve everyone who needs it . ''
In recent weeks , Roberto has been leading the calls to open the cafeterias .
His profile was raised further when he was arrested on April 30 while leading the caravan of cars making their way through the streets of San Juan in protest .
He was charged with violating the governor 's stay-at-home order , but the arrest , broadcast on television , was widely criticized as unjustified .
A judge dismissed the charges .
The ordeal endeared many people in Puerto Rico to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he runs with volunteers became an important source of food after Hurricane Maria , when the local and federal government failed to get supplies to people frantic for them .
Since then , the comedores sociales have operated on shoestring budgets .
But Roberto 's recent prominence demanding the government do more to help Puerto Rico 's poor during the pandemic has attracted tens of thousands of dollars in donations .
`` We 're improving our center to have a bigger warehouse , '' Roberto said .
The main facility – a salvaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — has shifted to grocery giveaways rather than serving meals on site .
`` We 've gotten a lot of support , so we 've expanded from 200 weekly grocery deliveries to 700 this week . ''
Still , Roberto said that was not enough , and hoped the judge overseeing a lawsuit that advocates filed on behalf of several mothers will force the government to open more school cafeterias .
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday .
Denise Santos , the food bank president , said the pandemic 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hunger and poverty in Puerto Rico that politicians – and many citizens — prefer to avoid .
`` Our politicians talk as if we were a first class country , and although there have been some programs in our history that have improved the middle class , in reality we are very poor .
We always have been , '' Santos said .
`` But if you look at our Facebook page for the food bank , people comment that in Puerto Rico there is no hunger because everybody receives food stamps .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' In the Río Piedras section of San Juan , Christel Galindez Garcia , a community leader , saw the hunger in her neighborhood start to balloon within days of the island 's shutdown .
`` Older people , immigrants , mothers with children , '' Galindez said .
She has been picking up thirty cooked meals a day from a church near her home and delivering them to people 's houses .
She visits different families every day .
`` Do you know when you know people are really in need ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ show up with a plate of food and they start to cry . ''
One of the people Galindez visited last Wednesday was Elia Gonzalez , who said that the day before , she 'd gone through the last of the rice and egg she had been feeding her three kids .
`` Right now I have nothing in the kitchen , '' Gonzalez said .
`` Nothing , nothing . ''
Though some school cafeterias had distributed meals that day , she said none were close to her apartment , and she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal stimulus payment was nowhere in sight because the island 's treasury secretary , charged with distributing that money on behalf of the federal government , has said that people receiving food assistance will be among the last to get it .
`` And we 're the ones who need that help the most , '' Gonzalez said .
On the bright side , her monthly food stamps had just arrived , and that would let her restock her kitchen .
Without her partner 's income , she said , she could buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Wednesday was also her daughter Angellia 's sixth birthday .
Christel Galindez , the community leader , knew this , and during her food delivery run , she drove up to Gonzalez 's front door playing the birthday song through her car 's speakers .
She used a P.A .
system to summon Angellia outside .
The little girl emerged with a big smile , and spun a little pirouette to the music .
Galindez handed Gonzalez three to-go-containers of food and a box with three cupcakes , one for each of @ @ @

'Mamá, I'm Still Hungry': In Puerto Rico, Child Hunger Becomes A Flashpoint
Enlarge this image toggle caption Erika P. RodrÃguez for NPR Erika P. RodrÃguez for NPR
It hadn't been easy, but before the pandemic Elia Gonzalez had always managed to keep her family fed by stretching her food stamps and her partner's modest income as a D.J. at bars around Puerto Rico's capital, San Juan. That changed in mid-March, when those bars closed and her daughter's school, where she'd gotten free breakfast and lunch, did too.
By April 20, the kitchen cabinet was almost empty. Gonzalez and her partner, who is undocumented and does not qualify for unemployment, went four days without eating so they'd have enough food for the children until Gonzalez's next monthly food stamps benefit landed on her EBT card in early May. Still, by the end of April, all she had left for the children was rice with a little egg mixed in.
Her sons, shy 4 and 5-year-olds, would ask for more. But her oldest, Angellia, a talkative, curly-haired kindergartener, tried to reassure her mother.
"She said, 'Mamá, I'm still hungry'," Gonzalez said, "but she told me it was okay because she was big and could wait until I got more food. That hit me hard."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR
The coronavirus emergency has worsened hunger nationally, with recent polling finding that one in five U.S. households can't afford enough to eat. But Puerto Rico's rates of food insecurity have been higher than that since long before the pandemic. The U.S. territory has a higher poverty rate than any state.
A study by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics in 2015 found that 22 percent of adults reported skipping meals or eating smaller portions because they didn't have money for food. That was before the island's bankruptcy, a string of natural disasters, and now the coronavirus lockdown, which closed businesses but also the schools that provided two daily meals to a majority of Puerto Rico's schoolchildren.
"And so it's not an exaggeration to say that hunger in Puerto Rico right now is probably much higher than it was in 2015," said José Caraballo-Cueto, an economist at the University of Puerto Rico's campus in the city of Cayey. He estimates that the pandemic has driven the island's unemployment rate to an astounding 46 percent. "And the average saving rate here is zero. So if you have a social crisis like this, people don't have that buffer during the lockdown."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR
In recent days, it's a fight over the shuttered school cafeterias that has brought the issue of hunger on the island – and specifically childhood hunger — into full view.
Governor Wanda Vázquez earned early praise for taking aggressive steps to combat the coronavirus. But after closing schools on March 16, she refused to allow their cafeterias to continue providing free lunches to children, as they have in most communities in the U.S. The governor initially said she feared exposing cafeteria workers to the virus. Many of those workers are older women.
But as the lockdown dragged on, as bureaucratic hurdles delayed the arrival of federal stimulus and unemployment payments, and as the local government struggled to process a surge in new food stamp applications, people's patience wore thin.
On social media, stories circulated about people like Elia Gonzalez who had run out of food for their children. One mother, Genesis Montañez, wrote to her son's teacher that all she had for her kids was water. Parents and politicians demanded the cafeterias reopen. Cafeteria employees said that with proper protective equipment, they were willing to go back to work. Activists sued and announced a protest of cars winding through the streets of San Juan.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR
On April 29, the governor acquiesced, saying a limited number of cafeterias would be allowed to reopen the following week. The island's 78 mayors would coordinate delivery of the meals to children who needed them.
"Public opinion really forced the government to reconsider its decision and reopen the lunch rooms," said Denise Santos, president of the Puerto Rico Food Bank. She said that after the schools closed, she was inundated with more requests for food for children than the food bank could meet. "Most Puerto Ricans live from paycheck to paycheck, so eight weeks without any income made the situation very urgent for a lot of families."
The first 80 cafeterias opened on May 6, and it was a fitful start. Many mayors reported that the island's education department delivered far less food than they needed or had requested. Others, like the mayor of the coastal town of Loíza, postponed meal distributions until this week rather than risk having to turn children away.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR
On Monday, the island's education secretary, Eligio Hernández, said his department had opened another 28 cafeterias this week and was preparing nearly 64,000 lunches a day. He also said families in some rural towns could sign up to have nonperishable food mailed to their homes. Then, on Wednesday, he closed 32 school kitchens after saying 50 workers had tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies.
Criticism of the government's food response has not subsided.
"The government has only served 10 percent of children," said Giovanni Roberto, a prominent anti-hunger activist who runs a small network of community soup kitchens, known as comedores sociales. "Our demands are clear. Open all school cafeterias, and serve everyone who needs it."
In recent weeks, Roberto has been leading the calls to open the cafeterias. His profile was raised further when he was arrested on April 30 while leading the caravan of cars making their way through the streets of San Juan in protest. He was charged with violating the governor's stay-at-home order, but the arrest, broadcast on television, was widely criticized as unjustified. A judge dismissed the charges.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR
The ordeal endeared many people in Puerto Rico to Roberto's cause. The community kitchens he runs with volunteers became an important source of food after Hurricane Maria, when the local and federal government failed to get supplies to people frantic for them. Since then, the comedores sociales have operated on shoestring budgets. But Roberto's recent prominence demanding the government do more to help Puerto Rico's poor during the pandemic has attracted tens of thousands of dollars in donations.
"We're improving our center to have a bigger warehouse," Roberto said. The main facility – a salvaged community center in the city of Caguas — has shifted to grocery giveaways rather than serving meals on site. "We've gotten a lot of support, so we've expanded from 200 weekly grocery deliveries to 700 this week."
Still, Roberto said that was not enough, and hoped the judge overseeing a lawsuit that advocates filed on behalf of several mothers will force the government to open more school cafeterias. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR
Denise Santos, the food bank president, said the pandemic's economic fallout has elevated a conversation about hunger and poverty in Puerto Rico that politicians – and many citizens — prefer to avoid.
"Our politicians talk as if we were a first class country, and although there have been some programs in our history that have improved the middle class, in reality we are very poor. We always have been," Santos said. "But if you look at our Facebook page for the food bank, people comment that in Puerto Rico there is no hunger because everybody receives food stamps. People are in denial, period."
In the Río Piedras section of San Juan, Christel Galindez Garcia, a community leader, saw the hunger in her neighborhood start to balloon within days of the island's shutdown.
"Older people, immigrants, mothers with children," Galindez said. She has been picking up thirty cooked meals a day from a church near her home and delivering them to people's houses. She visits different families every day.
"Do you know when you know people are really in need?" she asked. "When you show up with a plate of food and they start to cry."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR
One of the people Galindez visited last Wednesday was Elia Gonzalez, who said that the day before, she'd gone through the last of the rice and egg she had been feeding her three kids.
"Right now I have nothing in the kitchen," Gonzalez said. "Nothing, nothing."
Though some school cafeterias had distributed meals that day, she said none were close to her apartment, and she doesn't have a car. Her federal stimulus payment was nowhere in sight because the island's treasury secretary, charged with distributing that money on behalf of the federal government, has said that people receiving food assistance will be among the last to get it.
"And we're the ones who need that help the most," Gonzalez said. On the bright side, her monthly food stamps had just arrived, and that would let her restock her kitchen. Without her partner's income, she said, she could buy enough food for two to three weeks.
Wednesday was also her daughter Angellia's sixth birthday.
Christel Galindez, the community leader, knew this, and during her food delivery run, she drove up to Gonzalez's front door playing the birthday song through her car's speakers. She used a P.A. system to summon Angellia outside. The little girl emerged with a big smile, and spun a little pirouette to the music.
Galindez handed Gonzalez three to-go-containers of food and a box with three cupcakes, one for each of her children.
Erika P. Rodríguez contributed reporting from San Juan, P.R.


npr--2020-05-13--Your Boss Is Watching You: Work-From-Home Boom Leads To More Surveillance

Your Boss Is Watching You : Work-From-Home Boom Leads To More Surveillance After two weeks of working from her Brooklyn apartment , a 25-year-old e-commerce worker received a staffwide email from her company : Employees were to install software called Hubstaff immediately on their personal computers so it could track their mouse movements and keyboard strokes , and record the webpages they visited .
They also had to download an app called TSheets to their phones to keep tabs on their whereabouts during work hours .
`` There are five of us .
And we always came to work .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was no reason to start location-tracking us , '' the woman told NPR .
She spoke on the condition of anonymity , fearing she could lose her job .
Company emails that she provided to NPR show her employer believed the tracking software would improve the team 's productivity and efficiency while everyone was working from home .
Such rationales are increasingly ringing throughout workplaces nationwide .
The coronavirus pandemic has forced about a third of U.S. workers to do their jobs from home .
In turn , companies are ramping up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees do all day .
Privacy advocates and some workers said they worry that the intensified tracking brought upon by the coronavirus will normalize workplace surveillance and that this type of digital supervision will persist when workers return to offices .
Just ask a woman who works in marketing at a small company in Minnesota .
She also spoke to NPR anonymously out of fear her employer would retaliate against her for speaking out .
Her employer has started using software called Time Doctor .
It downloads videos of employees ' screens while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a computer 's webcam to take a picture of the employee every 10 minutes .
`` If you 're idle for a few minutes , if you go to the bathroom or whatever , a pop-up will come up and it 'll say , 'You have 60 seconds to start working again or we 're going to pause your time , ' `` the woman said .
That meant stepping away from her computer briefly could cut into her pay .
`` I just feel like crap .
I feel like I 'm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ myself , '' she said , referring to a short break she took to speak with a colleague by phone .
`` My co-workers were really , really upset .
But everyone was too afraid to say anything . ''
Your boss may know you 're on Facebook even if you do n't post Critics call this kind of tracking software `` tattleware . ''
But Brad Miller , who runs the Connecticut-based company Awareness Technologies , bristles at that description .
`` If you 're not working or doing something wrong , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you , but I do n't think that 's really how companies that are buying [ the software ] think of it as , '' Miller said .
Since the COVID-19 outbreak , Miller said that Awareness Technologies ' business has tripled .
Its programs for managers keep a record of every task employees are doing on their computers .
Each worker then gets assigned a productivity score .
Every employee is ranked accordingly .
`` Are they generally active on programs and websites that I would consider productive like Excel , PowerPoint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to YouTube or Facebook ? ''
Miller asked .
`` That 's primarily what our customers are looking to know . ''
Dave Nevogt , the CEO of Hubstaff , said demand has tripled for his company 's monitoring software , too .
`` We have seen a massive increase in the number of people needing our platform , '' Nevogt told NPR .
`` Remote work has gotten a huge boost as everyone has been forced to work outside of the office , and we feel like these changes may be here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeping up with worker productivity has always been a give-and-take .
But in the office , it is much easier to figure out if someone is doing a job well .
Now tracking technology is taking the place of a manager 's eyes .
Miller said when the software runs on a homebound employee 's computer , it gives the worker an added incentive not to slack off .
`` I think if people know it 's happening , then people will act better than they would otherwise , because we all act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Miller said .
Alison Green , who writes the syndicated advice column Ask a Manager , has a different view .
She has been flooded with questions from workers who feel icky about their bosses quantifying their keystrokes and how many emails they fire off each day .
`` And then there 's a lower-tech version of that , which is people whose managers are asking them to stay on video all day long so they can watch over them every minute of the day , which is very intrusive , '' Green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it is not illegal , said Paul Stephens , director of policy and advocacy with Privacy Rights Clearinghouse , a consumer advocacy nonprofit .
While the Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government , employers are not running afoul of any federal laws by tracking what their workers are doing all day through surveillance software , he said .
`` There 's not a constitutional issue here , '' Stephens said .
`` There are n't a whole lot of legal protections for employees who are being monitored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over whether companies must even tell workers whether they 're using tracking software .
Some states do not require that workers be notified first .
And with few legal barriers , employers who turn to this software during the pandemic may choose to keep using it even after work-from-home orders are lifted , he said .
`` Once the employer has made the investment in acquiring and installing the software , it 's not likely that they 're going to remove it , '' Stephens said .
`` This has for a long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than ever it 's safe to assume that everything you 're doing is being watched and tracked by your employer . ''
Back in Brooklyn , the woman who works for the e-commerce startup said her employer 's order to download Hubstaff and TSheets has strained relations between employees and their bosses .
`` It has really destroyed morale for everyone , '' she said .
`` And everyone has since kind of taken a step back and said , 'All right , if this is how they 're going to treat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ? '
Because clearly it does n't matter to them . ''
Rather than download the software on her computer , she opted out .
She 's gone on unpaid leave until the office reopens .
But the experience has soured her on her company .
She 's now hunting for a new job .
`` It 's not worth it for me right now to sacrifice my personal privacy and all my data for a paycheck , '' she said .
`` It just made me very uncomfortable . ''

Your Boss Is Watching You: Work-From-Home Boom Leads To More Surveillance
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jackie Ferrentino for NPR Jackie Ferrentino for NPR
After two weeks of working from her Brooklyn apartment, a 25-year-old e-commerce worker received a staffwide email from her company: Employees were to install software called Hubstaff immediately on their personal computers so it could track their mouse movements and keyboard strokes, and record the webpages they visited.
They also had to download an app called TSheets to their phones to keep tabs on their whereabouts during work hours.
"There are five of us. And we always came to work. We always came on time. There was no reason to start location-tracking us," the woman told NPR. She spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing she could lose her job.
Company emails that she provided to NPR show her employer believed the tracking software would improve the team's productivity and efficiency while everyone was working from home.
Such rationales are increasingly ringing throughout workplaces nationwide.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced about a third of U.S. workers to do their jobs from home. In turn, companies are ramping up the use of software to monitor what their employees do all day.
Privacy advocates and some workers said they worry that the intensified tracking brought upon by the coronavirus will normalize workplace surveillance and that this type of digital supervision will persist when workers return to offices.
Just ask a woman who works in marketing at a small company in Minnesota. She also spoke to NPR anonymously out of fear her employer would retaliate against her for speaking out.
Her employer has started using software called Time Doctor. It downloads videos of employees' screens while they work. It also can enable a computer's webcam to take a picture of the employee every 10 minutes.
"If you're idle for a few minutes, if you go to the bathroom or whatever, a pop-up will come up and it'll say, 'You have 60 seconds to start working again or we're going to pause your time,' " the woman said.
That meant stepping away from her computer briefly could cut into her pay.
"I just feel like crap. I feel like I'm not trusted. I feel ashamed of myself," she said, referring to a short break she took to speak with a colleague by phone. "My co-workers were really, really upset. But everyone was too afraid to say anything."
Your boss may know you're on Facebook even if you don't post
Critics call this kind of tracking software "tattleware." But Brad Miller, who runs the Connecticut-based company Awareness Technologies, bristles at that description.
"If you're not working or doing something wrong, then I guess it will tattle on you, but I don't think that's really how companies that are buying [the software] think of it as," Miller said.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Miller said that Awareness Technologies' business has tripled. Its programs for managers keep a record of every task employees are doing on their computers. Each worker then gets assigned a productivity score. Every employee is ranked accordingly.
"Are they generally active on programs and websites that I would consider productive like Excel, PowerPoint, Word, email, as opposed to YouTube or Facebook?" Miller asked. "That's primarily what our customers are looking to know."
Dave Nevogt, the CEO of Hubstaff, said demand has tripled for his company's monitoring software, too.
"We have seen a massive increase in the number of people needing our platform," Nevogt told NPR. "Remote work has gotten a huge boost as everyone has been forced to work outside of the office, and we feel like these changes may be here for good."
For bosses, keeping up with worker productivity has always been a give-and-take. But in the office, it is much easier to figure out if someone is doing a job well. Now tracking technology is taking the place of a manager's eyes. Miller said when the software runs on a homebound employee's computer, it gives the worker an added incentive not to slack off.
"I think if people know it's happening, then people will act better than they would otherwise, because we all act better when someone is watching," Miller said.
Intrusive? Maybe. Legal? Probably
Alison Green, who writes the syndicated advice column Ask a Manager, has a different view.
She has been flooded with questions from workers who feel icky about their bosses quantifying their keystrokes and how many emails they fire off each day.
"And then there's a lower-tech version of that, which is people whose managers are asking them to stay on video all day long so they can watch over them every minute of the day, which is very intrusive," Green said.
It may feel intrusive, but it is not illegal, said Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy with Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer advocacy nonprofit.
While the Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, employers are not running afoul of any federal laws by tracking what their workers are doing all day through surveillance software, he said.
"There's not a constitutional issue here," Stephens said. "There aren't a whole lot of legal protections for employees who are being monitored."
Stephens said state laws vary over whether companies must even tell workers whether they're using tracking software. Some states do not require that workers be notified first.
And with few legal barriers, employers who turn to this software during the pandemic may choose to keep using it even after work-from-home orders are lifted, he said.
"Once the employer has made the investment in acquiring and installing the software, it's not likely that they're going to remove it," Stephens said. "This has for a long time been true, but maybe now more than ever it's safe to assume that everything you're doing is being watched and tracked by your employer."
Choosing privacy over a paycheck
Back in Brooklyn, the woman who works for the e-commerce startup said her employer's order to download Hubstaff and TSheets has strained relations between employees and their bosses.
"It has really destroyed morale for everyone," she said. "And everyone has since kind of taken a step back and said, 'All right, if this is how they're going to treat us, why go the extra mile?' Because clearly it doesn't matter to them."
Rather than download the software on her computer, she opted out. She's gone on unpaid leave until the office reopens. But the experience has soured her on her company. She's now hunting for a new job.
"It's not worth it for me right now to sacrifice my personal privacy and all my data for a paycheck," she said. "It just made me very uncomfortable."


npr--2020-05-13--Pandemic Revives Calls To Ban Lawmakers From Bunking In Their Offices

Pandemic Revives Calls To Ban Lawmakers From Bunking In Their Offices For some members of Congress , an office on Capitol Hill is just , well , an office .
But for others , it doubles as their apartment while they live and work in Washington , D.C .
It 's a practice Rep. Jackie Speier , D-Calif. , would like to see permanently banned .
`` You know , they sleep on their couches , they then get up in the morning , sneak downstairs [ to ] the members ' gym , shower , change their clothes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' she describes .
`` Imagine if you said to a constituent coming into your office , 'Welcome , come into my bedroom . '
Because for all intents and purposes , that 's what , I mean , I do n't know if I 'd want to sit on anyone 's couch , '' Speier chuckles .
She says members making their office a home away from home is troubling on several fronts , calling the practice an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds and something that can make staffers feel uncomfortable .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Too ' movement in the House , there were stories about members in their pajamas talking to staff , '' Speier says .
`` It 's abnormal to do that . ''
Speier argues it 's particularly important to end the practice now out of a need for increased health and safety vigilance because of the coronavirus pandemic .
In a May 1 letter to the architect and attending physician of the Capitol , Speier noted that about 30 construction workers and police officers at the Capitol had tested positive for the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive .
She posited if members sleep in their offices , there could be a greater chance of exacerbating the public health risk among members , aides and janitorial staff .
The House is slated to return this week to consider another coronavirus relief package .
Previous reports have estimated that up to 100 members of Congress — mostly Republicans — live in their offices while in D.C .
The last House speaker , Paul Ryan , was one of them .
North Carolina Republican Rep. Ted Budd does it now .
Elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right away in a Murphy bed , otherwise known as a wall bed or pulldown bed .
`` It has a Tempur-Pedic mattress and [ is ] very comfortable , but it 's completely invisible during the day and just sleeps like normal , '' he describes .
Budd says his main motivation behind the decision was to keep life simple .
`` When I came in as a freshman and people were trying to figure out places to live ...
I was off to the races and working on great committee work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he says .
`` And so I skipped all of the normal ramp-up time of starting up a new place to live and just went right to work . ''
Budd says he 's not surprised by Speier 's calls to curb this practice .
`` Every two years at the beginning of a new Congress , there 's a concerted effort by the left ... to try to kick us out of our offices , '' Budd says .
He thinks concerns that members living in their offices could magnify public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all adults here .
We know how to wash our hands .
We know how to have social distancing .
We know how to be sanitary .
And we all do that , '' he says .
`` And I just think this has nothing to do with COVID-19 , but [ Democrats are ] certainly not going to let an opportunity like this or a crisis go to waste . ''
Budd thinks there 's an underlying agenda among Democrats to get a housing allowance in place for members .
Rank and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 174,000 a year .
One-bedroom apartments in D.C. , which would likely serve as a secondary place of residence for members , can cost more than $ 2,000 a month .
`` When people say , 'Well , it 's very , very expensive to live in Washington , ' that 's true , '' Speier says .
`` But you ran for this office knowing what the salary was and what the expectation was .
So to then decide that you 're going to turn your office into a bedroom is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking into giving a per diem or a stipend to members to mitigate the cost of D.C. living , Rep. Bennie Thompson , D-Miss.
, says that 's not Democrats ' main goal .
`` I 've been a member for 27 years and I have paid rent every day that I have been there , '' he says .
`` So why would I push a housing allowance when I 'm already paying ? ''
Thompson has filed complaints with the House Committee on Ethics over the practice and introduced a bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their offices , as a way to save money .
Thompson agrees with Speier that the pandemic demands more urgent action .
`` I think the attending physician will have to make some serious health and medical decisions around whether it 's in the best interests for those members to be allowed to sleep in our offices , given what we know of the volatility of this pandemic and the fact that Washington , D.C. , in itself is considered a hotspot , '' he explains .
`` I would hope that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and says , you know , it 's one thing skirting the ethics rules , but it 's really something else when you put lives at risk . ''
Thompson says it 's time to have a `` frank '' discussion in Congress about this practice , because there 's also a financial aspect to it .
`` If I receive free rent , free utilities , free cable , free janitorial services , free gym services , then that 's a value that I ca n't receive from anywhere else , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by virtue of staying in my office , receiving something that 's probably worth $ 25,000 to $ 30,000 per year , if I had to monetize it . ''
The attending physician did n't include anything on this issue in its guidelines to members on returning to the Capitol , and declined NPR 's request for an interview .
Speier asked for a response from the architect of the Capitol and Office of the Attending Physician by May 14 .

Pandemic Revives Calls To Ban Lawmakers From Bunking In Their Offices
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 6:15 p.m. ET on May 19
For some members of Congress, an office on Capitol Hill is just, well, an office. But for others, it doubles as their apartment while they live and work in Washington, D.C.
It's a practice Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., would like to see permanently banned.
"You know, they sleep on their couches, they then get up in the morning, sneak downstairs [to] the members' gym, shower, change their clothes, and come back up for work," she describes.
"Imagine if you said to a constituent coming into your office, 'Welcome, come into my bedroom.' Because for all intents and purposes, that's what, I mean, I don't know if I'd want to sit on anyone's couch," Speier chuckles.
She says members making their office a home away from home is troubling on several fronts, calling the practice an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds and something that can make staffers feel uncomfortable.
"During the height of the 'Me Too' movement in the House, there were stories about members in their pajamas talking to staff," Speier says. "It's abnormal to do that."
Speier argues it's particularly important to end the practice now, out of a need for increased health and safety vigilance because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a May 1 letter to the architect and the attending physician of the Capitol, Speier noted that about 30 construction workers and police officers at the Capitol had tested positive for the virus. Additional Hill staff have also tested positive.
She posited if members sleep in their offices, there could be a greater chance of exacerbating the public health risk among members, aides and janitorial staff.
Previous reports have estimated that up to 100 members of Congress — mostly Republicans — live in their offices while in D.C. The last House speaker, Paul Ryan, was one of them. North Carolina Republican Rep. Ted Budd does it now.
Elected in 2016, Budd says he invested right away in a Murphy bed, otherwise known as a wall bed or pulldown bed.
"It has a Tempur-Pedic mattress and [is] very comfortable, but it's completely invisible during the day and just sleeps like normal," he describes.
Budd says his main motivation behind the decision was to keep life simple.
"When I came in as a freshman and people were trying to figure out places to live ... I was off to the races and working on great committee work right out of the gate," he says. "And so I skipped all of the normal ramp-up time of starting up a new place to live and just went right to work."
Budd says he's not surprised by Speier's calls to curb this practice.
"Every two years at the beginning of a new Congress, there's a concerted effort by the left ... to try to kick us out of our offices," Budd says.
He thinks concerns that members living in their offices could magnify public health risks are unfounded.
"We're all adults here. We know how to wash our hands. We know how to have social distancing. We know how to be sanitary. And we all do that," he says. "And I just think this has nothing to do with COVID-19, but [Democrats are] certainly not going to let an opportunity like this or a crisis go to waste."
Budd responded to Speier's claims via his own letter to the architect of the Capitol and the attending physician on May 19.
He argues there isn't any evidence that members have been infected with COVID-19 as a result of sleeping in their offices.
"In fact, Members remaining in separate offices and not having to travel to and from apartments or houses off of the U.S. Capitol grounds makes social distancing easier and allows for less contact with potentially infected individuals," Budd writes.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AP Jose Luis Magana/AP
Budd urged the attending physician and the architect "not [to] be swayed by the ideological objections of certain Members who use any policy issue or national crisis to attempt to enact their long-held political agendas."
He says there's an underlying agenda among Democrats to get a housing allowance in place for members.
Rank and file members of Congress make around $174,000 a year. One-bedroom apartments in D.C., which would likely serve as a secondary place of residence for members, can cost more than $2,000 a month.
"When people say, 'Well, it's very, very expensive to live in Washington,' that's true," Speier says. "But you ran for this office knowing what the salary was and what the expectation was. So to then decide that you're going to turn your office into a bedroom is not appropriate."
And while Speier suggests looking into giving a per diem or a stipend to members to mitigate the cost of D.C. living, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., says that's not Democrats' main goal.
"I've been a member for 27 years and I have paid rent every day that I have been there," he says. "So why would I push a housing allowance when I'm already paying?"
Thompson has filed complaints with the House Committee on Ethics over the practice and introduced a bill in 2018 to prohibit members from sleeping in their offices as a way to save money.
Thompson agrees with Speier that the pandemic demands more urgent action.
"I think the attending physician will have to make some serious health and medical decisions around whether it's in the best interests for those members to be allowed to sleep in our offices, given what we know of the volatility of this pandemic and the fact that Washington, D.C., in itself is considered a hot spot," he explains. "I would hope that Congress takes a harder look at it and says, you know, it's one thing skirting the ethics rules, but it's really something else when you put lives at risk."
Thompson says it's time to have a "frank" discussion in Congress about this practice, because there's also a financial aspect to it.
"If I receive free rent, free utilities, free cable, free janitorial services, free gym services, then that's a value that I can't receive from anywhere else," he says. "I am, by virtue of staying in my office, receiving something that's probably worth $25,000 to $30,000 per year, if I had to monetize it."
The attending physician didn't include anything on this issue in its guidelines to members on returning to the Capitol, and declined NPR's request for an interview.


npr--2020-05-13--VIDEO: 3 Tips To Make Your Face Mask More Effective

VIDEO : 3 Tips To Make Your Face Mask More Effective Do n't see the video ?
Click here .
@ @ @ @ @ job at keeping in large respiratory droplets that can spread a disease like COVID-19 — @ @ @ @ @ spit out when coughing or talking .
That 's why in April the Centers for @ @ @ @ @ `` the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus @ @ @ @ @ have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others . ''
@ @ @ @ @ benefit to wearing a mask : protecting yourself from droplets .
But masks , both @ @ @ @ @ , vary in how good they are at keeping out pathogens .
If you 're @ @ @ @ @ 's ability to filter out small particles , we 've got three tips from researchers @ @ @ @ @ materials in light of the pandemic — including a hack that involves a pair of @ @

VIDEO: 3 Tips To Make Your Face Mask More Effective
YouTube
Don't see the video? Click here.
Cloth masks do a good job at keeping in large respiratory droplets that can spread a disease like COVID-19 — the kind of droplets you spit out when coughing or talking. That's why in April the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised "the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others."
But there's another possible benefit to wearing a mask: protecting yourself from droplets. But masks, both homemade and made by vendors, vary in how good they are at keeping out pathogens.
If you're looking to boost your mask's ability to filter out small particles, we've got three tips from researchers who've been testing mask materials in light of the pandemic — including a hack that involves a pair of pantyhose.


npr--2020-05-13--Different Coronavirus Models Are Starting To Agree. The Picture's Not Good

Different Coronavirus Models Are Starting To Agree .
The Picture 's Not Good More than 82,000 people in the U.S. have died of COVID-19 as of Tuesday .
How many more lives will be lost ?
Scientists have built dozens of computational models to answer that question .
But the profusion of forecasts poses a challenge : The models use such a wide range of methodologies , formats , and time frames , it 's hard to get even a ballpark sense of what the future has in store .
Enter Nicholas Reich , a biostatistician at University of Massachusetts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed a method to compare and ultimately to merge the diverse models of the disease 's progression into one `` ensemble '' projection .
The resulting forecast is sobering : By June 6 , the cumulative death toll in the U.S. will reach 110,000 .
Reich 's approach builds on work he 's done over the past four years for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , pulling together the many forecasts that U.S. experts create annually to predict how that year 's seasonal influenza will play out .
Reich 's team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compare coronavirus models .
It 's a sort of portal through which the scientists behind each COVID-19 model can communicate key details about their methodology and results , so that , as Reich explains , `` all of these forecasts can be represented in a single standardized way .
And this makes it really easy to make apples-to-apples comparisons between these models . ''
The team unveiled the first version four weeks ago , and ever since they 've been adding in more forecasts and updating the projections on a weekly basis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ incorporates eight models , including some oft-cited ones , such as those built by the Imperial College London , the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation , Columbia University , and Northeastern University .
( They also send each week 's release to the CDC , which publishes a version with a slight time lag . )
The projections vary substantially — with the most pessimistic forecasting a total death toll of 120,000 by June 6 , and the most optimistic forecasting 103,000 deaths by that date .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other .
Over the last several weeks , the distance between the highest and lowest estimates has halved from a gap of 36,000 deaths two weeks ago , to a gap of 17,000 deaths in the most recent update released Tuesday .
Still , says Reich , that remains a large difference .
Also , he says , some of the models are gyrating fairly significantly from week to week .
`` The most pessimistic model a few weeks ago was the model from Los Alamos National Laboratory , '' notes Reich .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most optimistic . ''
Meanwhile the models produced by IHME and University of Texas at Austin respectively have substantially increased their projected deaths tolls — becoming among the most pessimistic .
There are a range of reasons for these changes : The scientists are getting new data ; they are updating their methods as they calibrate their models against the reality to date ; and lastly , Americans have stopped social distancing to the same degree as they had been in March and April — requiring models that assumed a longer stay-at-home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But how do we make sense of these COVID-19 projections if the models can see-saw so abruptly from week-to-week ?
That 's where Reich 's `` ensemble '' model may be helpful .
It 's a strategy that forecasters use regularly to model not just disease outbreaks , but other phenomena ranging from weather to electoral outcomes .
`` Individual models are being changed every week .
They 're sensitive to the last observed data in different ways , '' says Reich .
But with an ensemble `` there 's a certain consistency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sort of flapping in the wind . ''
Caitlin Rivers , an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security agrees .
`` We know from the experience of seasonal influenza that ensemble models tend to perform better than any single model , '' she says .
And the approach is particularly well-suited in this pandemic given how much is still unknown .
`` This ensemble approach really pulls together those different results and makes them , in some ways , greater than the sum of their parts , '' says Rivers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his ensemble model .
For instance , at the moment Reich is giving equal weight to each of the forecasts that go into it .
But soon he hopes to give more weight to those that are proving more accurate — an approach that he uses in his ensemble models for flu .
`` Model accuracy is one thing that we 're tracking and we 're hoping to release some information on over the next few weeks , '' says Reich .
`` We 've been sort of building the car as we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hour down the highway .
And we 're learning as we go . ''
In the meantime , says Rivers , it is at least useful to be able to see the range of forecasts that have been produced .
`` It tends to help the user to understand where the uncertainties are and the spectrum of possible futures , '' she says .
That said , Reich 's setup only compares projections through the next four weeks — since many of the models do n't offer forecasts beyond that point .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released projects deaths up to June 6 .
Still , in that first week of June about 7,000 people are projected to die .
The clear implication , adds Reich : The cumulative death toll of 110,000 forecast through June 6 will unquestionably rise much higher in the weeks beyond .

How To Make Sense of All The COVID-19 Projections? A New Model Combines Them
More than 82,000 people in the United States have died of COVID-19 as of Tuesday. How many more lives will be lost? Scientists have built dozens of computational models to answer that question. But the profusion of forecasts poses a challenge: The models use such a wide range of methodologies, formats and time frames that it's hard to get even a ballpark sense of what the future has in store.
Enter Nicholas Reich, a biostatistician at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Reich and his colleagues have developed a method to compare and ultimately to merge the diverse models of the disease's progression into one "ensemble" projection. The resulting forecast is sobering. By June 6, it projects, the cumulative death toll in the U.S. will reach 110,000.
Reich's approach builds on work he has done over the past four years for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pulling together the many forecasts that U.S. experts create annually to predict how that year's seasonal influenza will play out.
Reich's team has set up a similar system to compare coronavirus models. It's a sort of portal through which the scientists behind each COVID-19 model can communicate key details about their methodology and results so that, as Reich explains, "all of these forecasts can be represented in a single standardized way. And this makes it really easy to make apples-to-apples comparisons between these models."
Loading...
The team unveiled the first version four weeks ago and ever since has been adding in more forecasts and updating the projections weekly. The latest update — released Tuesday — incorporates eight models, including some oft-cited ones, such as those built by the Imperial College London, the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Columbia University and Northeastern University. (The team also sends each week's release to the CDC, which publishes a version with a slight time lag.)
The projections vary substantially — with the most pessimistic forecasting a total death toll of 120,000 by June 6 and the most optimistic forecasting 103,000 deaths by that date. But the models have been inching closer to each other. Over the past several weeks, the distance between the highest and lowest estimates has halved from a gap of 36,000 deaths two weeks ago to a gap of 17,000 deaths in the most recent update released Tuesday.
Still, says Reich, that remains a large difference. Also, he says, some of the models are gyrating fairly significantly from week to week.
"The most pessimistic model a few weeks ago was the model from Los Alamos National Laboratory," notes Reich. "Now Los Alamos is one of the most optimistic." Meanwhile, the models produced by IHME and University of Texas at Austin respectively have substantially increased their projected deaths tolls — becoming among the most pessimistic.
There are a range of reasons for these changes. The scientists are getting new data; they are updating their methods as they calibrate their models against the reality to date; and Americans have stopped social distancing to the same degree as they had been in March and April — requiring models that assumed a longer stay-at-home period to adjust their forecasts upward.
But how do we make sense of these COVID-19 projections if the models can see-saw so abruptly from week to week? That's where Reich's "ensemble" model may be helpful. It's a strategy that forecasters use regularly to model not just disease outbreaks, but other phenomena ranging from weather to electoral outcomes.
"Individual models are being changed every week. They're sensitive to the last observed data in different ways," says Reich. But with an ensemble "there's a certain consistency and robustness. You're not quite, sort of flapping in the wind."
Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, agrees. "We know from the experience of seasonal influenza that ensemble models tend to perform better than any single model," she says.
And the approach is particularly well-suited in this pandemic given how much is still unknown. "This ensemble approach really pulls together those different results and makes them, in some ways, greater than the sum of their parts," says Rivers.
Reich thinks he can still improve his ensemble model. For instance, at the moment Reich is giving equal weight to each of the forecasts that go into it. But soon he hopes to give more weight to those that are proving more accurate — an approach that he uses in his ensemble models for flu.
"Model accuracy is one thing that we're tracking and we're hoping to release some information over the next few weeks," says Reich. "We've been sort of building the car as we're driving it at 90 miles an hour down the highway. And we're learning as we go."
In the meantime, says Rivers, it is at least useful to be able to see the range of forecasts that have been produced. "It tends to help the user to understand where the uncertainties are and the spectrum of possible futures," she says.
That said, Reich's setup compares projections through the next four weeks only — since many of the models don't offer forecasts beyond that point. This is why the latest update his team released projects deaths up to June 6.
Still, in that first week of June about 7,000 people are projected to die. The clear implication, adds Reich: The cumulative death toll of 110,000 forecast through June 6 will unquestionably rise much higher in the weeks beyond.