Rep. Jeff Fortenberry visited Promedcare in Fremont to discuss the in-home care and medical equipment company receiving a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program Friday afternoon.
“I appreciate what you do, because what you’re doing is what everyone is talking about, is the hidden problem underneath the virus of people feeling isolated and alone and separated from family, which honestly, is integral to health,” he told the company’s staff. “That’s part of the reason you’re in this business, to keep people in their homes as long as they can to provide an intimate level of care.”
The discussion was part of Fortenberry’s tour across his district to visit businesses impacted by the PPP, which was passed by the House of Representatives last April.
“That’s a primary reason we wanted to interview with you, to see what your experience has been and what seems to be working and what counsel advice you can give us as we move forward particularly with federal expenditures,” he told staff.
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Available last summer, the $669 billion loan helped small businesses around the country. Promedcare President Andrew Foxhoven told the Fremont Tribune that with the PPP funds, the company was able to keep all of its staff employed since the pandemic began.
“And then we’ve been able to stretch those funds out and continue to backfill any possible COVID-related missed absences that they have now,” he said. “So we’re able to continue through the end of this year for sure to make sure nobody has lost any money through COVID.”
Fortenberry told the Tribune he was proud of Nebraskans when the pandemic hit, as he said the U.S. government has been focused on protecting its healthcare system and small businesses.
“Seeing the small businesses that had to receive the PPP loan, it’s really gratifying,” he said. “We’re not out of the woods yet, but using this government subsidy to bridge and stabilize, I’m proud of the fact that Nebraska leads nationally in a number of these loans.”
During his visit to Fremont, Fortenberry spoke with caregivers and other Promedcare staff from its locations. Foxhoven said the company provides medical equipment and has a respiratory therapist on hand.
“And then the bulk of our business is that in-home care piece, and that’s really what COVID has become very pivotal in keeping people at home,” he said.
In this discussion, Fortenberry brought up a conversation he had with a longtime friend in the agriculture business who felt guilty about taking money from the government with the PPP loan.
“I said, ‘John, you didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve been paying taxes all these years, this is what we call a ‘public good,’” he said. “’Your government is here to help you, and not just you, but the people who work for you. So take the money.’”
Fortenberry said there’s often misconceptions about how small businesses are run.
“You don’t just go on and off,” he said. “So that’s why this was so important, the PPP loan, just to stabilize things and build a bridge until we better understood this crisis.”
Fortenberry said rapid testing is critical for keeping operations like Promedcare, which has its caregivers entering the homes of its clients, open for business.
“There’s a balance to be kept with the immediate reaction being, ‘Shut down, shut down,’ versus, ‘Let’s isolate certain populations, bring down the probability of them getting exposed. Other populations can go about as somewhat normal, with appropriate mitigation measures,’” he said. “It seems to me the country is getting there.”
Foxhoven said Promedcare has been able to work better with the pandemic with its one-on-one interactions, as opposed to operating as a facility.
“So we’ve been able to kind of help contain things,” he said. “If you have a caregiver that maybe has some symptoms, or we have had some that have tested positive, then it’s much less risk because they’re only with one or two clients, rather than an entire facility. So that’s really helped us.”
With providing telehealth services, Fortenberry said he’d like to look into providing permanent reimbursement for that type of medical activity.
“I think it’s going to take a huge leap of productivity,” he said. “It doesn’t substitute face-to-face fully, but as long as there’s a basis for the face-to-face operation and then expanding that option through digital care, I just think that’s a great leap forward.”
With Nebraska’s unemployment rate being at 4%, Fortenberry told the Tribune that number shows the team effort the state has had during the pandemic.
“We went to work quickly with small business associations and the community banking infrastructure, sometimes business by business, to help get these loans implemented,” he said. “So in spite of the toughness of the pandemic, it’s gratifying to see how successful this has been for Nebraska’s small businesses and other institutions.”
Foxhoven told the Tribune he appreciated Fortenberry’s visit to the company.
“He was instrumental in helping us with the PPP and then working with the VA, his office helped quite a bit about a year ago with that,” he said. “So we appreciated the opportunity to sit and meet with him and talk about that.”