Medical nonprofits forced to scale back as pandemic upends fundraising

Medical nonprofits forced to scale back as pandemic upends fundraising

Medical nonprofits forced to scale back as the pandemic upends fundraising

Among the many organizations taking a hit as a result of Covid-19 are medical nonprofits, which have traditionally relied on in-person galas and black-tie events to raise money for their research efforts. For instance, JDRF, the type 1 diabetes foundation, announced that it had fallen short of its expected revenue by 40%, and would therefore be cutting 40% of its staff, consolidating regional chapters, and reducing or ending some of its grant programs. But the pandemic is taking a toll on the nonprofit industry as a whole: Small donations are becoming rarer as people deal with job loss, and bigger donors are funneling funds to the Covid-19 response. But if the current trends keep up, it could spell trouble for the future of medical research, since much of it is funded by nonprofit organizations. STAT's Rebecca Robbins has more here.

Here's what else is happening with Covid-19: 

• Top infectious disease physician Anthony Fauci, assistant health secretary Brett Giroir, and CDC Director Robert Redfield are back in the hot seat today as they face a House subcommittee to talk about the U.S. response to Covid-19, including plans for obtaining the resources necessary to address shortages in medical supplies and delays in testing. 
• Children younger than 5 years old who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 can have as much virus in their nose and throat as infected adults, according to a new study. Kids could have between 10 to 100 times more virus in their upper respiratory tracts than adults with Covid-19, although the data don't necessarily show that kids are passing on the virus to others around them. 
• A small survey from health technology company DrFirst finds that roughly 40% of Americans have turned to home remedies in an effort to avoid the emergency room or a trip to the doctor during the pandemic. Many of these treatments have been common over-the-counter options such as muscle relief balm and readily available splints or braces, but around 1 in 4 reported using essential oils or homeopathic remedies.