How the Transportation Security Administration’s mission-support offices used a customer focus to adapt to the pandemic The Transportation Security Administration was well-positioned to adapt its work when the coronavirus pandemic hit because the department’s mission-support headquarters had previously developed open communication with agents in the field, facilitating effective solutions to new work challenges. Read More
How the Small Business Administration successfully launched a hiring surge during the COVID-19 pandemic Tasked with administering the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program amid a rapidly spreading pandemic in late March 2020, Small Business Administration leaders realized the agency needed a larger staff to manage the program effectively. In less than a year, the agency implemented a successful hiring surge to more than double its workforce. Read More
The federal government faced down pandemic challenges, delivering “bright spots” during a dark time As the COVID-19 pandemic affected our country in unprecedented ways, the federal government innovated and made improvements to continue serving the public. The Partnership compiled a list of accomplishments and outlined actions from across government to highlight the ingenuity, efficiency and adaptability agencies have demonstrated this past year. Read More
Researchers apply AI to medical imaging to learn about COVID-19 In August 2020, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering announced a new AI initiative, the Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center. The center created a collaborative community that applies AI to medical imaging to contribute to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
How the Department of Veterans Affairs delivered better services during the pandemic During the early stages of the pandemic, traffic to VA call centers drastically increased as veterans sought critical healthcare information. The VA created a new chatbot to reduce call wait times for customers and provide them with more support and up-to-date medical information. Read More
Three lessons governments learned using technology during COVID-19 Federal, state and local government used technology to continue delivering services during the coronavirus pandemic. At a report release event for “Bit by Bit: How Governments Used Technology to Move the Mission Forward During COVID-19,” federal and nonprofit technology specialists highlighted three lessons government has learned about using technology to deliver results during the pandemic. Read More
America’s oldest cultural institution goes digital The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, to go digital. To complement the Partnership’s Bit by Bit report on government technology, we examined how the library’s digital systems operate internally and serve the public. Read More
The Sammies Series: Q&A with McKinsey and a Sammies finalist whose Ebola antiviral treatment has the potential to save thousands of lives 2020 Service to America Medals finalist Nancy Sullivan, chief of the Vaccine Research Center’s Biodefense Research Section at the National Institutes of Health, spoke with McKinsey’s Matt Craven about her team’s work to develop an effective antiviral infusion treatment for the Ebola virus. Read More
Four recommendations to improve the federal customer experience “Government for the People,” a recent report by the Partnership in collaboration with Accenture, offers tips for agency officials to improve the customer experience both during and after the pandemic. Read the four government-wide strategies that agency officials can implement to further improve services. Read More
Dr. Anthony Fauci is our Federal Employee of the Year Dr. Anthony Fauci was named Federal Employee of the Year at the 2020 Service to America Medals for his dedication to public health throughout five decades in the federal government. Watch dozens of celebrities and frontline workers thank Dr. Fauci for his work at the Sammies virtual awards program. Read More
