Dear Friends,
The health and safety of Arkansans is always my first priority. In the face of this public health emergency, our nation and leaders must join together.
Several corporations, including Arkansas-based Walmart, are facilitating drive-through testing in their parking lots in critical locations so that people do not have to stop into health care facilities.
In the middle of this public health crisis, it is important to stay informed. The Arkansas Department of Health is an excellent resource for those who are looking for more information related to the COVID-19 outbreak, what our state government is doing to combat the outbreak, what steps you can take to stay healthy, and how to get tested if you are feeling sick. Click HERE to visit their website and learn more.
All major insurance companies have agreed to waive copays associated with COVID-19, and have agreed to no surprise billing.
If you are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, please do NOT visit a health-care facility in person without calling ahead.
Instead, call your primary care physician who can direct you towards testing, or use the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) screening tool:
- UAMS HealthNow is now offering a FREE screening tool.
- It’s available 24 hours a day and can be accessed from a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer.
- The tool will guide you regarding next steps – if any – such as contacting your primary care physician for further evaluation and possible testing for the virus.
Additionally, the CDC is recommending that people over the age of 60 and people with serious chronic medical conditions ensure they have enough supplies, avoid crowds, take every precaution to keep space between themselves and other people and avoid unnecessary travel.
Last Tuesday, Congressman Westerman and I held a telephone town hall in conjunction with the Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health, Dr. Nate Smith, to answer questions and address concerns that Arkansans have. Many of the questions and answers are still relevant, even as the situation is rapidly evolving. To watch that town hall, click HERE or on the image below.
Today, Governor Hutchinson held a press conference to address how the state of Arkansas is combatting COVID-19. To watch, click HERE or on the image below.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, I joined my colleagues in voting to provide additional support for Americans who are weathering the economic impacts of COVID-19. I applaud Democrats and Republicans for working together to address the COVID-19 outbreak across the United States. This legislation includes paid emergency leave for workers, widespread coronavirus testing at no additional cost to patients, and strengthened food security initiatives, which help the 22 million children who rely on free or reduced-price school meals.
Saturday's vote shows that there are good men and women on both sides of the aisle who are committed to finding a pragmatic approach to offset the real-world costs of this virus.
This past Friday, the president declared a state of national emergency, which will allow the federal government more flexibility to respond to this public health crisis. This action gives states, territories, and tribes access to over $42 billion in existing funding to combat the coronavirus. The president's declaration also provides the Small Business Administration the authority and available funding to make over $7 billion in loans to qualifying small businesses to help them stay afloat as we all practice social distancing.
The president is urging every state to set up emergency operations centers and is asking every hospital to activate its emergency preparedness plan.
As Americans and as Arkansans, we will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
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| Standing with the people of Syria |
| Nine Years of Civil War in Syria |
March marks the ninth anniversary of the deadly civil war in Syria. The violence has cost the lives of more than 500,000 Syrians and displaced more than 12 million—over half the Syrian population—as part of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. These atrocities have been ongoing, and now, after nearly ten years of death and destruction, Idlib is becoming the greatest humanitarian disaster of this long conflict. The Wisdom House School, which is supported by Arkansans, and is located in Idlib, has been forced to close several times due to the ongoing bombing.
I was proud to stand beside those who are working to bring to light Assad’s war crimes and to bring about a peaceful solution for the Syrian people at an event sponsored by the Holocaust Museum.
Three of these men, Caesar, a Syrian military defector, Raed Al-Saleh, the White Helmets chief, and Omar Alshogre who survived torture in Assad’s prisons, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday in a hearing titled “Nine Years of Brutality: Assad's Campaign Against the Syrian People. To watch my speech, click HERE or on the image below.
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