Desert Companion

Listeners and readers have asked where to turn for help during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevada Public Radio has organized the following stories with links to useful resources. They refer to entities that are addressing the outbreak and its ripple effects, such as food banks, unemployment agencies, governmental support for small businesses, and more. Please check back often as we continue to develop this list.We want to hear from you. If we’ve missed something, please add it in the comments or e-mail heidi@nevadapublicradio.org.A Note from CEO and President, Jerry Nadal RESOURCESCOVID-19 Tracker PUBLIC INFORMATIONThe agencies below are leading the government's response to the pandemic at various levels. These links go to their pages with information about the virus, its spread, and the ensuing public-health and economic crisis.Centers for Disease Control and PreventionNevada Department of Health and Human ServicesNevada Governor's OfficeSouthern Nevada Health DistrictOther public offices are offering their own resource guides as well. These contain links and contact information on where to find help with myriad issues related to the pandemic, from housing to unemployment insurance.City of Henderson COVID-19 Community ResourcesCity of Las Vegas Coronavirus UpdateClark County Coronavirus SummaryThe Department of Health and Human Services' Nevada 2-1-1 U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto's COVID-19 Resource GuideU.S. Senator Jacky Rosen's COVID-19 Nevada Resource Guide BUSINESS/EMPLOYERSThe Small Business Administration, or SBA, is offering various types of help for business owners impacted by the new coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Since the SBA's emergency funding programs have launched in mid-March, they've seen a lot of turmoil. This timeline encapsulates the changes to the EIDL and Payroll Protection Plan, or PPP, and where they are today. FOODAmong the concerns of those finding themselves without work, one of the most basic and immediate is, “How will I feed my family?” This story contains links to resources such as food banks and food assistance programs, as well to organizations seeking donations and volunteers. Many casino-hotels on and off the Strip have donated their unused stores of food and water to both their own laid off employees and various charities, which, in turn, are innovating to get it to those most in need. The following is a summary of what’s available as of March 26, 2020. HEALTHCARE, MEDICINE, AND WELLNESSWhat kinds of tests are there, and where are they available locally? And maybe more importantly, who can — and should — get tested? This regularly updateed list shows viral testing sites in Southern Nevada. How do you care for someone in your home who is sick? David Weismiller, a family physician and professor in the UNLV School of Medicine’s department of family and community medicine, has some advice: protect yourself, keep others away, and don’t stop washing your hands.Does your health insurance cover testing and treatment for COVID-19? Insurance can be tricky… full of exceptions and terms that can allow some insurers to skirt the law. So, what is and isn't covered by your insurance when it comes to COVID-19? PARENTING/EDUCATIONAnd you thought summer vacation was bad… At least then you could take your kids to the pool or play dates! Being shut inside the house with them 24/7 and having the expectation that at least some of their time will be spent constructively is a new experience for most parents. Fortunately, many agencies and community groups offer resources to help. UNEMPLOYMENTWhat should the thousands of workers, who are being laid off due to the COVID-19 crisis, do? Here is some guidance from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. The day after Governor Steve Sisolak’s order to close non-essential businesses, March 18, brought the promise of several programs to help families that might be affected by those closures and their resulting layoffs. Two nonprofit programs offer both assistance to those in need and opportunities for those who want to help to donate and volunteer, while the federal government’s Families First bill covers everything from free COVID-19 testing to worker relief. UNLV Law Professor Ruben Garcia, who co-directs the William S. Boyd School of Law’s Workplace Program, offers this practical, step-by-step guide to making the best of a difficult situation for workers who have been laid off. UTILITIESThree municipal water districts, Southwest Gas, and NV Energy have all pledged to work with customers on flexible repayment options and suspend service disconnections for the foreseeable future. All are encouraging customers to reach them by phone or online, as lobbies close to the public. Details and contact information for each of the utilities are included in this story. VOLUNTEER/DONATION OPPORTUNITIESHundreds of thousands of Nevadans are out of work due to the business shutdown mandated to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. That’s on top of the huge number of families who were already at risk of hunger and homelessness before the pandemic. Those looking to donate or volunteer can start with these opportunities. Below are links to the latest national stories from NPR, as well as local stories from KNPR newscasts and KNPR's State of Nevada.

Asked and Answered: ‘Every Day It’s, Do We Order Food?’

By Heidi Kyser

Published May 1, 2020 at 3:52 PM PDT

Talking with the Pasta Shop’s Ann Alenik about operating in a shutdown

David and Ann Alenik opened the Pasta Shop Ristorante & Art Gallery in Henderson 31 years ago. David didn’t live to see the COVID-19 pandemic, but Ann is still operating the casual-dining restaurant with him as, she says, her “guardian angel.” It’s taken more than a benevolent spirit to get restaurateurs through this trying time; food service had to make a major pivot to keep serving customers in the new reality of dining room closures and social distancing. Ann Alenik talks about how she and her staff — including her and David’s three kids — altered operations to survive, and keep feeding a hungry, nervous public.

When did you start to think things were going to have to change?

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Sunday and Monday before last (March 15-16). We said, People are panicking, the grocery stores are out of pasta, and we make it daily, so we can make fresh pasta for them. Our suppliers make an abundance; it’s not limited like a grocery store. So, we don’t have the shortage issues that others are having.

How did you figure out what you were going to do?

We had several conversations among ourselves, and we knew we could produce anything we wanted to. We have the equipment and the ingredients coming in, and I knew a lot of my customers don’t like to cook — they’re busy, and it’s an inconvenience. So, we decided to keep going.

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Who in the family is involved?

I have three kids (ages 22 to 30), and they all help me out. They’re Bianca, Trenton, and Clayton, and they’ve all grown up in the restaurant.

What did you start doing differently?

We didn’t do anything differently online; we’re still using Postmates and Uber Eats, but we’re promoting people picking up their own food. And we’re doing what we’re calling a quarantine kit, which includes pasta; fresh sauce with meatballs, sausage, or vegan meatballs; Caesar or balsamic vinaigrette salad; and ciabatta garlic bread. You just have to boil the water to cook the pasta and put the bread in the oven. (It costs $24.95, and serves two.)

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Did you have to institute new sanitary measures?

Yeah, everything is ubered-up on all that. Restaurants are pretty sanitary to begin with, much more so than grocery stores, where so many people are touching the food before it gets to the customer. Our food health and safety rules were already strict. In a restaurant, there’s one person touching your food — who now has gloves on — and it’s cooked, heated, and then wrapped. There’s no contact with outsiders. In the kitchen they wear masks, and out front, it’s just me and my family, and we’re all quarantined together.

Did you start Clorox-wiping everything that comes in the door?

Yeah, it all (food containers) gets totally sanitized when it comes in. All the surfaces and equipment are sanitized multiple times daily. When someone signs with a pen, we sanitize the pen when we’re done — just every precaution we can take.

Anything else you had to change?

Just getting everything done super-fast. Normally, when the dining room is open, orders are lining up while people are enjoying their food, but now, the phones are ringing constantly, and orders are coming in online, and … we’re just turning things around as quickly as we can. There’s no leisurely wait. We want the food to get to people when it’s fresh and hot.

Also, we used to mainly sell our pasta wholesale, but now we’re turning to retail.

What are you hearing from your fellow restaurateurs about how they’re faring?

Honestly, a lot of my friends with restaurants have just closed down. But being a family business makes it easier for me to stay open, which also means I can keep some of my staff working. I have three cooks working, and normally six waiters, but only a few of them now, and the bad thing is, there’s not enough hours and normally they’re making a lot in tips. So, that’s been a struggle for them.

How are you holding up, emotionally, physically?

It's definitely trying! Every day: “Do we order food? Will we be shut down?” So many rumors! Tonight was busy, so who knows? But I have a guardian angel that looks after me.