Ascendant Strategic Partners Expands with Healthcare Heavy Hitters

By Kyle McGowan and Amanda Campbell — The Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 9, 2021 – As the former chief of staff and deputy chief of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the initial days of the agency’s COVID-19 response, we were eager to read Dr. Scott Gottlieb’s new book, “Uncontrolled Spread.”

By Kyle McGowan and Amanda Campbell — The Hill, May 18, 2021 – Sometimes all that’s needed to solve big problems is the willpower to see it through. That’s what we now face with ending HIV here in the United States.

When it comes to the spread of disease, the first line of defense is quite simple – it’s always proper hand hygiene. “Wash your dang hands.” By Kyle McGowan - Atlanta Journal Constitution , May 4, 2021 - The past year has been turbulent, to say the least. The COVID-19 pandemic changed how we do most everything in our day-to-day lives, including wearing masks, social distancing, increased hand hygiene, and much more. Though we are starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel, it is crucial we continue to practice this increased level of vigilance, especially when it comes to maintaining healthy habits like hand hygiene. The world is a scary place and after serving as the chief of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I have a better appreciation that a health threat anywhere is in fact a health threat everywhere. I often get questions from friends and family about what they need to be doing to stay safe. We live in a society where we want a silver bullet, an easy solution to the problems we face. When it comes to the spread of disease, the first line of defense is quite simple – it’s always proper hand hygiene. As I received this question over and over, it quickly became a running joke that I would always say, “wash your dang hands.” As important as vaccines, social distancing, masks, etc. are, proper hand hygiene is a major contributor to stopping the spread of disease, not just COVID-19. It’s a simple, effective, and easy way to provide not only yourself but those around you with a good level of protection from certain infectious diseases. And by proper hand hygiene, I mean following all the guidelines set out by the CDC and FDA for washing hands and using quality hand sanitizer. The COVID-19 pandemic created a critical need for hand sanitizer, and our country simply was not prepared to meet the unprecedented demand. This generated an influx of hand sanitizer products that did not meet the CDC and FDA’s benchmarks and were being manufactured by those with limited, or even zero, experience producing the product. Well-intentioned companies, including breweries and distilleries, worked to help fill this supply gap. Unfortunately, many did so without the appropriate infrastructure or materials to develop quality hand sanitizers that were effective in combating COVID-19. So, to ensure proper efficacy and safety the CDC laid out guidelines on how to select and use hand sanitizers that must be followed. Hand sanitizers must contain at least 60 percent alcohol for efficacy, and with the growing number of manufacturers, it is important to make sure the product is not listed on FDA’s Hand Sanitizer Do-Not-Use List. The FDA has currently identified 230 hand sanitizer products that were marketed in 2020 and found to be unsafe or ineffective, and it is critically important that the FDA continues to provide oversight to protect Americans. Thankfully, major trusted retailers have caught up to the demand, bolstered their supplies, and are able to make hand sanitizers that follow all of the critical CDC and FDA guidelines. What is most important now is to make sure those are the hand sanitizers being used and distributed. A new habit that has been developed is refilling safe, effective hand sanitizer bottles with lower quality, and at times dangerous, sanitizers, which lowers its efficacy and potentially poses serious reactions. It is critical only FDA and CDC-approved hand sanitizers are used as a matter of public health. When it comes to public health, our schools, hospitals, businesses, etc. must look to the CDC and FDA for best practices: do not refill or mix hand sanitizers, complement hand washing with hand sanitizer, and only use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. In turn, the FDA and CDC must continue to monitor and provide oversight to protect Americans from toxic and ineffective hand sanitizers, to ensure the effectiveness of healthy hand hygiene practices as we continue to overcome this disease. As kids start going back to the classroom full-time, adults head back to the office, and traveling swells, we need to be aware of what we are using for hand hygiene. It has become common practice to see bottles and dispensers of hand sanitizer at restaurants, offices, shops, and nearly everywhere else. This is a great practice that should continue; however, we must make sure that the product inside those containers is safe, effective, and of the highest quality. Kyle McGowan is a founding partner at Atlanta-based Ascendant Strategic Partners. He was most recently chief of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In that role, he oversaw the day-to-day operations and served as the senior advisor to the CDC Director, including providing strategic planning and guidance to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Comprehensive Visual Platform Can Support States Manage COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Efficiently and Equitably Atlanta, Georgia — December 15, 2020 – With the recent approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the anticipated approval of the Moderna’s, the promise of a vaccine is now a reality. For many, however, that reality is still several months away. As States begin to receive vaccine from the Federal government, they will be faced with difficult choices regarding distribution and management of limited vaccine while grappling with challenging logistics questions to support swift and efficient vaccination of their populations. Ascendant Strategic Partners is proud to support NOMAD and Project Sure Shot, which is an independently researched and developed COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Platform & Tracking System to provide manufacturer-to-patient tracking for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. This platform will provide a critical tool to facilitate and empower States’ implementation efforts of the forthcoming vaccine distribution according to the parameters set forth by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) for priority populations and Operation Warp Speed (OWS). The platform will provide a visual dashboard, in which datasets from a variety of sources will be obtained, processed, and communicated to stakeholders through an online and interactive GIS map. Nomad’s platform will portray potential vaccine administration sites and associated priority population factors. This customizable and scalable technologies work independently together to provide a real-time distribution and vaccination operations management platform, catered to stakeholder requirements centered around providing actionable information to draw informed decision making. The platform’s analytical tools collect, compile, organize and analyze raw data from a variety of sources focusing on providing results to inform where vaccines need to go, as well as provide tracking on vaccines that have been administered to patients (according to HIPAA requirements) and reporting back to the appropriate entities. For more information, please contact us at kyle.mcgowan@ascendantsp.com or amanda.campbell@ascendantsp.com .

Atlanta, Georgia — December 15, 2020 – Ascendant Strategic Partners announced the launch of their new weekly podcast, Ascendant Health & Politics, which can now be found on iTunes and Spotify . Each week, Kyle McGowan and Amanda Campbell break down the latest public health news and the political influences that impact the lives of everyday Americans, businesses, and communities. They share their insight and experience with listeners from years working on Capitol Hill, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After decades of working on health care and budget policy, Ascendant Strategic Partners have a unique perspective and understanding on the inner workings of Washington and are all too familiar with the rhetoric and promises on both sides of the aisle. Their analysis of the day’s public health news is particularly pertinent as the nation continues to grapple with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and response. Before starting their own business in August 2020, Kyle and Amanda served as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff at the CDC. You can listen each week by subscribing on iTunes and Spotify , or check out Our News page for the latest episodes.

Atlanta, Georgia — October 15, 2020 - As part of their commitment to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, Ascendant Strategic Partners and Applied Wayfinding have entered an affiliation to support adoption of the COVID-19 Toolkit within the United States. The COVID-19 Toolkit provides over 100 pages in guidelines on posting COVID-19 related public health messages – social distancing, wear a face covering, check for symptoms, etc. – to provide a coordinated, simple approach that can easily be adopted by any business, organization, or entity looking to safely engage in person. And the best part? It’s free. The US government has provided basic guidelines and images, or signage, for business, schools, etc. to help Americans get back to business as safely as possible. Yet, a critical gap remains. There are no guidelines to instruct entities on how and where signage should be placed to achieve the highest likelihood of behavioral change. These are simple questions, such as at what height should a sign be placed to be in the line of sight of most people? Or, what messages should be posted where to increase adherence? These are questions Applied Wayfinding are knowledgeable in answering. Based in London, Applied Wayfinding are experts in dealing with complex information and environments, and combine this skill with editorial and design aptitude that keeps the end user front of mind. Effective wayfinding solutions can only be created through a comprehensive understanding of people and the environment they navigate. Why is such a toolkit needed? “It tackles two issues that at first glance might not be obvious,” said Tim Fendley, founder of Applied Wayfinding. “Firstly, it’s not enough to have the right content on a sign to be effective it also has to be in the right place. Secondly, we only need one standard. It’s counter-productive to create multiple versions and ways of signing. We only use one road sign system for good reason, and it becomes the authority.” “The COVID-19 Toolkit fills a significant gap in the existing strategies to safely re-open the economy and adjust to the new normal we’re all presented with as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic” said Amanda Campbell, founding partner at Ascendant Strategic Partners. “The COVID-19 Toolkit is simple, instructive, and the principles it outlines can be easily adapted for any setting – business, universities, local jurisdictions, etc.” Ascendant Strategic Partners will be providing support for adoption of the COVID-19 Toolkit in the United States. For more information about the COVID-19 Toolkit, please visit www.covid19designtoolkit.com . Applied Wayfinding adds value to projects through well-researched, intelligent analysis of city legibility and through their creative approach to information design. Projects in the United States include: Central Park The Metropolitan Museum of Art, aka The Met Cleveland, OH Alexandria, VA