Paycom CEO Offers Plan To Curb Spread Of Coronavirus

In a sternly worded letter released on Sunday, Paycom CEO Chad Richison said the state has not done enough to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Wednesday, March 25th 2020, 2:40 am

By: Grant Hermes


In a sternly worded letter released Sunday, Paycom CEO Chad Richison said the state has not done enough to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“We are far from establishing the policies needed to mitigate the imminent destructions of the well-being of our people,” Richison wrote. The letter came in response to a call for ideas from Stitt late last week.

Richison is one of the state’s wealthiest CEOs is worth roughly $1.5 billion. His company specializes in payroll and company logistics technology.

"You have chosen to defer power," the CEO wrote, instead praising mayors who he said have acted "absent direction from the state." Urging the governor to take on a more aggressive plan, Richison wrote, "we can't afford not to act any longer."

According to the letter, Richison outlined a ten point plan, mirroring Stitt’s common approach and slogan of making Oklahoma a “top ten state,” including:

  • Collecting essential medical supplies used in elective and non-critical procedures to restock hospital supplies.
  • Contacting foreign countries and others to secure supplies of masks gloves and protective gear.
  • Establishing and implementing best practices for medical providers.
  • Immediately surveying all health care providers for readiness and supply stocks.
  • Temporarily suspending personal touch services, including salons, barbershops, nail salons and massage parlors.
  • Ensuring all critical employees to the supply chains work in safe environments.
  • Innovate grocery stores operate by providing drive-thru or delivery services.
  • Mandating new standards for the supply chain and food preparation.
  • Ban all non-essential travel from Oklahoma airports.

“There are some very low hanging fruit, some simple things that need to be implemented statewide and we really haven't seen that either,” said Paycom Director of Government and Community Affairs AJ Griffin. Griffin said Richison had been in contact with national health leaders including doctors at Johns Hopkins University in order to create his plan.

“We don't need to reinvent the wheel here,” she said. “We don't need to wait for unique data for Oklahoma. Immune systems of Oklahomans aren't any different than other states. Let's learn from what's happened elsewhere and implement the things that are working.”

On Tuesday, Stitt announced a safer-at-home policy which reiterated directions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for social distancing.

Griffin said Paycom had not heard anything from Stitt nor his office.

Attempts to reach Stitt’s office for a comment went unanswered.

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