A Note from Allison: Be Brave

26 Jan A Note from Allison: Be Brave

Winter greetings friends,

I hope your new year is off to a happy and healthy start! I doubt that 2021 has been exactly what any of us expected so far. But after the violence at the Capitol on January 6th, I was encouraged by the words of Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem last week:

“We will rebuild, reconcile and recover and every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful will emerge, battered and beautiful. When day comes we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

As we move into a new moment in history, New Hope of Indiana remains committed to amplifying the many diverse and beautiful voices that make up our community: the individuals we serve, their families, our associates who serve them, our friends and volunteers. For over 40 years New Hope has been a light for so many and I am sure we are brave enough to continue to be that light for forty more.

While the rest of the country has been watching the changing of the guard, New Hope continues to fight the good fight here at home. As many of you know, New Hope’s direct caregivers including Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), Team Leaders, Nurses and others have begun receiving their COVID-19 vaccines. New Hope continues to prioritize the health and safety of everyone in our care and each of our associates. We believe that the best way to move onward from this pandemic and to find some sense of normalcy in our lives is to vaccinate as many people as possible.

While the vaccine is not mandatory for our associates, New Hope is highly encouraging all eligible associates to get their vaccine as soon as possible. We have provided our associates with several opportunities to ask questions and to become more educated about how the vaccine works. Thanks to our own Medical Director, Dr. Daniel Shull, for sharing his expertise with our associates at a recent virtual Town Hall. His knowledge is an invaluable resource for our community. A special thank you to Dr. Shull for sharing his light with New Hope for nearly 42 years!

We are also working to get the individuals we serve vaccinated as soon as possible as well. New Hope has proposed a vaccine distribution plan to the State which outlines how New Hope nurses will vaccinate the individuals we serve who live in congregate settings (2 or more individuals who receive services and live together) as well as to distribute vaccines to individuals served by other disability providers in our area with less capacity than New Hope. We thought we were going to be able to start vaccinating this week, but like everywhere else in the country, our State does not currently have enough vaccine to get started. We are hopeful that this will change in the next week or two.

By vaccinating the majority of our community, we hope to be able to move onward through the Spring! I know you want this too for both New Hope and your own personal life! Let’s continue to work together to end this pandemic!

While much is still unknown, I am certain of one thing: New Hope couldn’t do what we do without you – our friends, families and loyal supporters who have stuck with us through the toughest of times! Thank you for being our light!

Stay healthy, wear your mask,
Allison