COVID-19 Update From The Arc CEO

May 8, 2020

Dear Community,

It is my hope that you are doing well in these very interesting times of living through a global pandemic and that you are able to make the most of Alaska’s beautiful spring weather. Although much of our state is beginning to reopen many sectors of our economy over the coming weeks, I wanted to give you an update on what we are doing at The Arc of Anchorage and plans for our campus and programs.

Our leadership team, from the very beginning of the virus outbreak and when positive COVID-19 cases began in our state, has been concerned with the situation. We have acted to ensure the safety and health of not only those we serve, but our employees and visitors at our campus location. On March 17 we closed our Recreation Center and the following week our campus was closed to the public.

As we continue to monitor local and state movement on opening facilities and businesses with health and safety in mind of Alaskans, know that we are considering re-opening our campus and in-person programs only when it is safe to do so. The Arc of Anchorage, like many service organizations in Alaska, is under State mandates and directives placed on agencies who serve vulnerable populations. Many of those we serve have underlying medical conditions, that place them in high-risk categories of severe complications if they were to contract COVID-19.

The State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has continued to provide guidance, protocols and mandates that we must respect and follow to ensure those we serve are safe while under our care and enrolled for our services. When we receive word from authorities and state agencies that it is safe to open our campus and start our in-person programs, we will let you know.

We appreciate the support and ask that you continue to be patient along with us. We miss seeing our individuals in person, but we are creative and have pursued ways to stay connected, provide services and still see the joy in times like these – it’s a choice to keep going with a smile!

Best regards,

Barbara Rodriguez-Rath, MSW
Chief Executive Officer
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