All Hands on Deck

A year ago, our country felt the full impact of COVID-19: States declaring States of Emergencies, the president stopping air travel from Europe, cities across the country reporting record deaths, Dr. Fauci warning us it was going to get a lot worse.  At the same time, Pathfinder Village went into “lockdown” and the start of an operational challenge like no other in our history.  Reflecting back on a year ago, we knew little about the virus; many of us hoped this would blow over in a couple of months, much like H1N1 in 2009. We never imagined we would be living and working like a country at war.

The one-year anniversary of the pandemic is an opportunity to recognize and thank all of you for your cooperation and compliance with Pathfinder’s COVID-19 precautions over the past year. Together we successfully protected the health and safety of our residents and staff. Our COVID-19 cases were few and when they did occur, there was little-to-no spread.
I want to extend to each one of you my profound appreciation for taking care of our
Village. I want you to know how much I respect your perseverance and endurance … many of you sacrificed much this past year, juggling financial challenges, family care, remote working, schedule changes, and ongoing levels of anxiety.  It’s been a long road and tomorrow looks brighter! 

Pathfinder’s COVID-19 procedures are now well established, and our response to COVID-19 related events is prompt and comprehensive. Leaders and managers from all departments work together to respond and manage action steps and keep staff and families informed.

We know that COVID-19 will be in our lives for the foreseeable future.  As such we all need to remain committed to actions proven to mitigate the spread of the virus. There are many things we can do. These include:

• Get vaccinated as soon as it's your turn

• Report any past/planned travel, COVID-exposure or symptoms that could potentially impact the Village to our supervisors ASAP

• Practice good hand hygiene; wash your hands often

• Wear masks/other PPE properly when in community settings, but especially indoors

• Continue cleaning and sanitizing work and home environments

• Practice social distancing, keeping a distance of 6 ft. from those who do not live with you (especially indoors)

• Avoid large, unfamiliar crowds and poorly ventilated spaces

Our resident population, primarily made up of individuals with Down syndrome and many, middle-aged, place them as one of the highest risk groups in our society -- scientists say 5X more than you and I.  We need to be extremely conscientious about following tried and true risk mitigation guidelines. 

So, for now, it's courteous and prudent for everyone to obey the same risk-prevention guidelines in our personal and community lives, especially the 3 C’s:  AVOID CLOSED SPACES, CROWDED SPACES & CLOSE CONTACT.  These are the primary causes for transmission and spread! 

As we move forward, let’s continue to have “all hands on deck” as we re-imagine a social Village again.

Thank you,

Paul C. Landers
President & Chief Executive Officer