News and notes from Imagine! and the Imagine! Foundation.
Imagine! Coronavirus Update
Mar-07-2020
Services
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin
Hello Imagine! stakeholders –
As you are no doubt aware, there is rising concern across the nation about COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus.
While there’s no reason to panic right now, Imagine! is actively preparing in case our services are affected by the arrival of the virus in Colorado. We believe now is the time to plan, so we can limit any potential negative impact on the health and safety of our employees and the people we serve.
Fortunately, Imagine! has had a Disaster Preparedness Plan in place for many years. The plan proved extremely effective when Boulder County was hit by massive flooding in 2013, and we’re confident that our diligent efforts to keep the plan updated since that time has us well ahead of the planning game already.
We aren’t just resting on our laurels, however. Right now, team members at Imagine! are currently hard at work making sure we are ready in case of an outbreak, including:
- Assessing all facilities and staffed environments to ensure there are enough supplies to meet the needs of individuals we support for the immediate future.
- Reviewing current policies to identify areas of increased flexibility to minimize disruption to services.
- Identifying high-risk individuals and ensuring that contingencies are in place to ensure their safety.
If COVID-19 does spread in our community, Imagine! will:
- Follow the county and state’s public health instructions for containment and share those directives with you promptly.
- Adopt flexibility in certain policies to support those directives, protect the health and support needs of the individuals we support, and the health of our workforce.
We will make more detailed plans available if the need arises, but for now we wanted to reach out and let you know that we’re doing everything we can to prepare.
We promise to regularly communicate with all of you about how we will continue to support the 4,000 people who rely on Imagine! every day, while at the same time, ensuring that our employees are able to tend to their own needs and the needs of their families.
To facilitate that communication, we have created a page on our website (https://imaginecolorado.org/covid-19) which will act as the central hub for all Imagine!/COVID-19 information we have available to share. You are also encouraged to check out our Facebook page for updated information.
In the meantime, the best response (and best way to contain this virus), is basic personal hygienic practices. Click here for tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Our fervent hope is that all of this preparation will be for naught. But we can’t rely solely on hope when it comes to protecting individuals with I/DD and the compassionate and caring people who support them, so we are moving forward full steam ahead with our preparations.
