Dear Imagine friends and family,
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As of this writing, nearly every client Imagine serves and more than 60 employees have completed their vaccination series. New case numbers around the state and in our County have fallen to less than a quarter of where they were at the start of this month.
But there is evidence that things are starting to get better more slowly. New variants of the Novel Coronavirus have emerged and all of them have been found nearby. We don’t yet know how well the vaccines will work on the new varieties of the disease. We know that the last year has been hard on everyone, including Imagine’s clients and staff, and we’re eager to loosen up some rules. But we ask your patience while we wait to see what this new phase in the pandemic really means.
We remain hopeful that the worst of this pandemic is now behind us, that whether the vaccines perfectly line up with the new variants, that the people who have had the shot will be less in peril. But important things will not be known for a while: whether the vaccinated are less likely to spread the virus, how sick can the new variants make vaccinated people? Is the stalling of improvements in COVID prevalence a sidestep on the road to the end of the pandemic or the beginning of a March surge?
While we learn the answers to these questions, we’ll proceed with the same caution and the same resilience that have gotten us through the last rough, tough drag of a year. And then we’re throwing a party.
We really appreciate those of you have taken the positive step of starting or finishing a vaccine series. We very much appreciate the care and sacrifice all of you have made to get us to this safer place on the road back to community integration, companionship and free choice.
In the meanwhile, we can start thinking about the difference the last year has made and the next year will bring. It’s hard to see all the differences inside ourselves. So the next phase in this pandemic, we’ll spend taking stock of what’s new in ourselves, beginning with person-centered plans for our clients but also including conversation among caregivers and other stakeholders.
Look for upcoming surveys and questions in our COVID updates.
This is a journey none of us planned or chose, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t moving.
Imagine has been holding monthly telemeetings with family members and conservators of people we serve. The next is planned for March 31st at 4 PM. This is an opportunity to discuss topics on your mind and ask questions, but, for the recent several meetings it has primarily been a conversation about the pandemic. If you would like to participate, you are welcome. Let Lili know and she’ll see you get the information you need to connect.
In our Human Resources column this week, a reminder of what we all know- that we’re not quite to the end of the pandemic.
We have established an Acorn fund for our endowment.
As ever, if you have any questions, feedback or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can write me here. I look forward to hearing from you.
Gratefully yours,
Doug