March 12, 2020

Dear Families, Participants, and Coworkers:

As a responsible member of the New Orleans metro community, Arc of Greater New Orleans is doing its part to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Although we do not at present have any staff or participants who have been infected (to our knowledge), a proactive plan has been put into place to reduce as much as possible the passing on of any infection that will eventually enter our sphere of influence.

Details vary according to departments, so please contact the director of your department should you have specific questions about your work or loved one. What follows is a general outline of the measures we are taking effective this morning:

• We have instituted intensified sanitation measures for all staff, participants, buildings, and vehicles, including for staff working in or visiting client residences.
• We have developed protocols to screen anyone arriving at one of our locations with either a cough or shortness of breath, and our policy is that anyone with a fever will be asked to remain home for a minimum of 14 days.
• Where possible, we are allowing administrative and supervisory staff to work from home so as to reduce the concentration of people at all of our locations.
• We are limiting access to our buildings to authorized personnel only and limiting movement within each building and between buildings to eliminate unnecessary face-to-face interaction.
• We have eliminated community outings that involve interaction with the public in order to reduce exposure to others who may be infected.

I am asking each of you, as a partner in providing support to our clients, to be vigilant and to exercise caution, so that together we can minimize the possibility of anyone spreading the virus. To this end, please let us know if you or your loved one is feeling ill, and please have a plan in place to provide the supports that will be necessary during any subsequent period of quarantine. With each one of us doing our part, we should be able to continue, without significant disruption, the support services our clients and families have come to depend upon.

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephen J. Sauer, Executive Director