Lifestyle

Life At Home: How Families are Spending Their Time at Home Durning COVID-19

Published

6 years ago

May 25, 2020

The outbreak of COVID-19 has sent shockwaves through everyone in the entire world. The virus tends to favor those with weakened immune systems but also thrives in healthy individuals as well. Because of its rapid spread, government officials have implemented city lockdowns to flatten the curve of the virus. And although the lockdown has forced people all over the world to stay at home, it has also made families get creative in how they spend their time at home.

You have to admit, this extended time at home might have been a little painful at first, but now that you’ve adjusted to home life for a few months now, it’s really not that bad. In fact, according to axios.com, COVID-19 is reshaping family dynamics.

While families are cooped up together under one roof, they’re, of course, going to bicker and moan, but history also tells us that when families endure hardships like what the coronavirus is putting families through, it helps families build strong connections.

Everyone, of course, has their own opinion on how coronavirus is impacting their family life, but there’s certainly no denying the fact that it has forced families to find alternative ways to spend their time at home TOGETHER!

Because of the virus, it has forced people to do most things virtually that they would normally do in-person. Nonetheless, people are adjusting just fine and making the best of the situation… that’s really all you can do if you think about it.

So how have you and your family been spending time together to make things fun? Here are some ways other families have been making the most of their time at home and having fun.

How Families are Spending Their Time at Home During Coronavirus

Cooking: Bringing Meals From Their Favorite Restaurants to Their Own Kitchen

With COVID-19 not only impacting families but businesses too, it has made the restaurant industry take a hard hit… All businesses, including restaurants, have been shut down in efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.

Because restaurants are closed, it’s forcing families to blow the dust off of pots, pans, and skillets that they haven’t used in ages. There are some restaurants that have been doing food deliveries but most times, it’s your favorite restaurants that need a food delivery app of their own but they don’t and that’s why you have to recreate those meals on your own.

Places like hibachi grills, Mexican restaurants, and burger joints are all being recreated in the homes of families all over the world. An electric griddle is what has been saving the lives of families all over the world!

You can buy an electric griddle at most grocery stores or supermarkets for as little as $19.99. And for $19.99, you can sautee your vegetables just like you see at hibachi restaurants. You can make grilled burgers that taste just like the ones at your favorite diner; And let’s not forget about breakfast… With a griddle, you can make a big batch of pancakes for the whole family in less than 10 minutes!

Patio Installation: Keeping the Fun Going From Indoors to Outdoors

Remember how you’ve been saying that you want to have a patio deck installed but never got around to it? Well, there’s no better time than now to have this particular home renovation project done. You just need to find the right contractor to install it for you. If you need a patio contractor in Kansas City, you have a wide selection of reputable and trustworthy companies to choose from.

By having a patio installed, you have the ability to fully enjoy your outdoor space whether you want to have a barbecue or simply enjoy the warm weather and pretend you’re on a beach. The biggest perk with a patio, especially during the coronavirus outbreak, is that it gives your family a change in scenery… Even though you’re still at home, you’re at least outside, and that’s something.

Tik Tok Challenges: Seeing Who’s the Better Dancer of the Family

Tik Tok has taken the world by storm during these challenging times and it has been a reliable source of entertainment for all ages. You see everything from grandparents doing the “Savage Challenge” to frontline nurses doing the “Flip the Switch Challenge.”

Because we’re in trying times and are seeing every day how COVID-19 is taking the lives of those we love on a daily basis, it’s sometimes a refreshing mental break from the sadness of life as we know it. Whether you decide to make TIK Tok videos with your pet or with your kids, take the time out to do it…

It might be silly to you but once you get the swing of how it works, you’ll look up and realize your family is having a great time together just being silly, and for that, coronavirus has brought a silver lining for lots of families.

Lifestyle

Kat Marie Alvarez: Where Innovation Meets Regulation

Published

3 hours ago

January 23, 2026

Michelle Langton

Regulation is often thought of as a limitation, yet in healthcare, it also serves as a foundation for building models that endure. For Kat Marie Alvarez, Founder and CEO of KATALYST & CO, the framework of rules established by agencies like CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) and the OIG ( office of the Inspector General) create opportunities to design systems that are compliant, ethical, and transformative. Her approach demonstrates that regulation can be a platform for innovation when it is interpreted with both technical rigor and vision.

Kat’s 25-year career reflects this philosophy. A former nurse who advanced into executive leadership and strategy, she has led $2.7B+ P&L operations, advised on over $5B in healthcare transactions, and guided value based organizations including Innovacare, Cano Health, WellMed, Centene, and Humana through periods of exponential scaling. Her perspective combines clinical, financial, and regulatory experience, giving her a unique ability to design structures that support integrity and accountability while driving measurable outcomes.

Turning Statutes into Strategy

For Kat, regulation serves as a framework for building smarter and more ethical models. She interprets CMS guidance and OIG rules as levers for innovation, using them to advance integrity and accountability. With the CMS V28 risk adjustment model, Alvarez refined coding practices, strengthened clinical documentation, and structured risk frameworks that reward accuracy and elevate standards of care. In addressing RADV audits, she crafted strategies that protect stakeholders while keeping patient outcomes at the forefront. She aligns compliance, cost, and care in equal measure. Her current work as a contributor to the CMS IDea Challenge, an initiative focused on strengthening the foundation of trust in our system, further echoes her commitment to advancing regulations in ways that unlock innovation while safeguarding the integrity of care.

Her interpretive approach brings discipline and vision to every challenge. She engages stakeholders to redesign workflows that meet regulatory requirements and enhance the patient experience. Each policy becomes a mechanism to strengthen accountability and operational precision, shaping a system that is both compliant and humane.

Innovation Built Within Boundaries

At KATALYST & CO, this interpretive approach is carried into every project. Kat has integrated predictive analytics and AI-driven tools into care models, with safeguards that ensure interventions remain clinician-led and ethically sound. For example, AI flags in chronic disease management are connected to human-led actions that improve patient care. The result is a model that benefits from technology while preserving accountability and clinical integrity.

Staffing and infrastructure provide another example of her philosophy in action. By leveraging offshore BPO operations in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe, KATALYST & CO extends capacity for health plans and providers. These expansions are carefully designed to meet data security, licensure, and jurisdictional requirements, ensuring that global reach is paired with local compliance. It is a system that balances scale with responsibility.

The Art of Influence Through Alignment

Kat often describes her role as translating complexity into clarity. Whether she is working with payers, providers, or investors, she builds consensus by grounding ambitious strategies in the language of statute. Value-based care models, utilization management programs, and clinical frameworks are designed to prove compliant ROI for stakeholders while maintaining patient focus.

Her approach begins with people. In integrations, partnerships, and platform builds, she respects legacy strengths, listens to frontline voices, and creates systems that are not only efficient but also trusted. This ensures that compliance does not feel like restriction, but like a structure that supports innovation and adoption.

Redefining the Future of Compliance and Care

KATALYST & CO is scaling with $10M in initial funding, expanded international operations, and a growing advisory portfolio. Under Kat’s leadership, the firm is showing how regulation can be a foundation for both innovation and durability. She demonstrates that lasting progress in healthcare is achieved by leaders who know how to design systems that are bold, ethical, and deeply human.

By approaching regulation as a guide rather than a limitation, Kat Alvarez is building models that prove compliance and innovation can move forward together. Her formula ensures that the future of healthcare is shaped not only by ambition, but also by trust and responsibility.