CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Real estate firm hires its own doctor to nagivate the pandemic

Palm Beach Post - 7/15/2020

A Boca Raton-based commercial real estate company has hired a doctor to help it navigate the coronavirus pandemic, a move that underscores the urgency of businesses to come up with ways to manage both their businesses and the ongoing health crisis.

Dr. Walter Okoroanyanwu is the new director of environmental health for Crocker Partners. Okoroanyanwu, whose background is in epidemiology and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, is tapping his contacts with the Centers for Disease Control and Emory University of Public Health, both in Atlanta, and Rutgers University in New Jersey. He has a master's degree in public health from Emory University and an MBA from Rutgers.

Okaroanyanwu's job is to apply his experience in health care and infectious disease to develop a program that will guide Crocker Partners through the pandemic and through other company programs to keep employees healthy.

"My mission," he said, "is to create and maintain a work environment that limits the chance of spreading COVID-19," the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The hiring comes as Florida experiences an explosion of coronavirus cases, and no statewide mandate to minimize the virus spread. This has forced employers to figure out how to look out for the welfare of their employees and those with whom they do business.

More than 30,000 people work in properties leased from Crocker, which features an 11 million-square-foot real estate portfolio in Florida and Atlanta. Properties include the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, the former IBM building; and the Boca Center office, hotel and retail complex.

Already, Crocker requires tenants and visitors to wear masks in common areas at its Florida properties.

But Crocker managing partner Angelo Bianco said the company wanted to do more. The goal, Bianco said, is to keep up with the torrent of information about the novel coronavirus by having someone who can parse through technical reports by scientists publishing ongoing research, and then direct building protocols and wellness programs.

Although Crocker Partners might be among the first real estate companies to make this move, it likely won't be last, Bianco said. "Supplementing traditional office building staff with medical, health, wellness and environmental experience will soon be commonplace," he said.

Indeed, the Miami Dolphins football team is adding an infectious disease specialist to its roster in order to alleviate player concerns and maintain protocols for limiting the virus' spread.

Okoroanyanwu said he expects other major office landlords to follow suit: "This is an innovative agenda here , and I see it as a stepping stone for other commercial developers to do the same thing."

Managing workplace safety is a tall order for any employer. COVID-19 is highly contagious and droplets from an infected person can linger in the air. Testing, therefore, is imperative.

Okoroanyanwu said he's looking into procuring rapid-tests from Abbott Laboratories that can deliver results within the hour to building tenants.

Getting immediate test results helps minimize the virus spread because infected people know to self-isolate right away, he said. In Florida, tests handled through third-party vendors such as Quest Laboratories or Labcorp can take a week or more to yield results.

As autumn approaches, Okoroanyanwu said it will be imperative to know if people experiencing symptoms of illness are suffering from influenza or or coronavirus, which can present with similar symptoms. "COVID-19 is not going away soon, and the flu season is coming up in September," he said.

Okoroanyanwu said Crocker already has implemented office safety measures, including the use of technology to sanitize and disinfect ventilation systems.

But the company also is advising tenants on practices to minimize the virus spread. This includes suggesting staggered work shifts. The company also has installed signs designating certain stairways for going up only, or for going down only.

The main messages for disease prevention remain universal, whether at work or outside of the office, Okoroanyanwu said. They include wearing a mask all the time, avoiding crowds and washing hands.

acloughpbpost.com

@acloughpbp

___

(c)2020 The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.)

Visit The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.) at www.palmbeachpost.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.