(Note: the online events discussed here have already taken place.)
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With global economies reeling from shutdowns required to limit the spread of COVID-19, eyecare industry leaders are readying their recovery plans and committing the resources needed to execute them.  However, practitioners on the front lines of optometry—the customers of these companies—have none of those resources.

This Wednesday and Thursday at 9pm Eastern time, industry executives will come together in solidarity with eyecare practitioners for a special two-part episode of Gary Gerber’s Power Hour podcast. Expect a freewheeling discussion with candid talk for tough times. Listeners will be able to ask questions by calling 646-716-8746 or submitting comments at www.powerhour.info.

The first night will focus on what you should be doing now to get through the crisis—how to make tough decisions about your practice, balance your obligation to staff members against the economic downturn facing your business, and generally cope with the stress of rampant uncertainty. The second night will offer advice on how you can execute what will likely need to be a very fluid strategy for reopening your business and returning to everyday life. 

Dr. Gerber is also spearheading the formation of a “dream team” of experts to operate under the hashtag  #save2020eyecare. This multidisciplinary group—small business attorneys, HR specialists, financial analysts, tax lawyers, stress counselors—will create a web site, blog, webinar series and live events at Vision Expo West with consistent, accurate and timely information to help optometrists get back on their feet in the arduous months to come.

The industry townhall will livestream here and then can be downloaded from the PowerHour archive of prior episodes shortly thereafter.