COVID-19 Staff Update (3/25/2020)

An Update from our CEO

Team,

As we shared in our email message on Friday, March 20, 2020, please continue to
keep your supervisor informed along with Darryl.Kimble@esmw.org, if you or someone in your household has displayed symptoms of COVID-19 (coronavirus) or the flu. The who, how, and when of reporting issues can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/vb6aoyb.

Easterseals has also expanded its Leave Policy to include the topic of coronavirus related leave. This policy is in effect and applies to all employees, regardless of tenure. The procedure can be found on our website here:
 https://tinyurl.com/sh8wpjt.

As you know, we have been working hard to ensure that your voice was heard while Congress worked on a national response to the coronavirus. We asked you to take action, and you sure did. I am proud to report that over the last week, more than 200 of you have stepped in to share your thoughts. You helped ensure that people with developmental disabilities are included in this response.

Our national office shared this morning that they believe that some harmful language was removed from the latest package. This is because you, your family, friends, and peers from coast to coast stood up, made calls, and wrote messages. Thank you. We will provide additional information in the coming days.

The State of Missouri's House and Senate leadership is working to develop a plan for how our elected officials can return to Jefferson City to complete the coming year's budget. Because of the economic impact of the coronavirus on the state, and delayed tax deadlines, the revenue picture has changed. This type of change could affect rate increases for the coming year. We will continue to ask you to call, write, and yes, even tweet your elected officials to remind them that people with developmental disabilities need to remain a priority in next year's budget. 

The team continues to share stories of meaningful moments with us each day. It is my honor to be able to share these fantastic mission moments with our community. Earlier this week, we shared a story from our Kirkwood team, found here: https://tinyurl.com/tabyxlm. Your stories brighten the day of so many people.

Throughout social media, our message is clear - we are Easterseals, and we are essential. If you have moments you would like to highlight on our Facebook and Instagram page
; please send those to Laura.Checkett@esmw.org. To download images for your own page or our new Facebook filter, visit https://tinyurl.com/vpfcegd, and If you haven't already, follow us on Facebook and Instagram to experience these great stories.

As a public service, Relias, a longtime partner of Easterseals, is offering free online courses and resources to provide information and education on the coronavirus. Relias launched a free training and support toolkit containing resources regarding preparedness and prevention. The toolkit can be found here:
https://tinyurl.com/vy98j3n. These and are not required courses, but a resource to you and your family.

Finally, we continue to share additional resources on our website, including staff FAQs. Please continue to check that page here:
https://tinyurl.com/sh8wpjt.

As always, our commitment is to support you and our programs with as little disruption as possible. We will continue to monitor the situation and will update you frequently. Please remember to take care of yourself, and if there is anything I can do to help you, please don't hesitate to contact me. In the meantime, if you have any questions, simply reply to this message.

Sincerely,

Wendy Sullivan
Chief Executive Officer

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