Adelante & COVID19 Response (3/16/20)

We know you are seeing information about COVID-19 all over the news and through so many different channels. While we didn’t want to add to those voices or your worries, we feel it is important to let you know how Adelante is responding to this pandemic. This is a community-wide effort to limit the exposure for people who will potentially be most affected by this highly contagious virus — seniors and people with underlying health conditions. These are the people who we have been entrusted to care for and support, and we at Adelante, take that role very seriously.

Top things to know about Adelante Today (3/16/20) re COVID19:

1. We are closing our day programs and group employment settings for clients, effective Monday, March 16, 2020 until April 5, 2020. This is happening at the direction of the NMDOH Developmental Disabilities Supports Division (DDSD).
2. Training classes have also been cancelled for the next three weeks.
3. Adelante Enterprises locations are open for business and will continue to fulfill their mailing, cleaning, shredding, contact center, and scanning contracts.
4. Bargain Square is also open.
5. We will continue to job coach for people with disabilities working at other businesses as needed, though we are suspending our work at local shopping malls.
6. Adelante residential homes and administrative buildings will be in operation. Effective tomorrow, 3/17/20 no outside guests will be admitted to the administrative buildings. We are working on virtual ways for team members to ‘visit’ their clients in Adelante homes.
7. All working staff members are being asked to keep a distance of 6 feet and to sanitize your areas frequently, and most of all to WASH YOUR HANDS.

The health and safety of the people in our care and our employees is our top priority. While daily sanitation and infection control is always our goal, we want to assure you that Adelante leaders are following the guidance from the CDC as well as the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) about how to best prevent infection and spreading this new virus. At the top of our list are preventative measures like reinforcing proper and frequent hand washing, and requiring employees to stay home from Adelante if they are ill. Adelante is offering additional days of paid sick leave to our employees so we can retain our valued and trained team members who might contract COVID19, while limiting potential exposure to clients and other staff members.

While we are always diligent when it comes to cleaning, sanitizing, and client safety, we have implemented additional processes to keep people as safe as we can. Our programs at Adelante are increasing sanitization efforts, greeting people and assessing them at entrances and not bringing additional people, such as staff from other organizations or extended family into our facilities.

Many of our operations are 24/7 and vulnerable people and their families count on us. We want our community connections – individuals, family members, donors, and volunteers to know that Adelante is diligently working to keep our employees and clients safe. We have every intention of continuing our mission on behalf of people with disabilities and seniors, as well as offering community resources for people with disadvantages to the best of our ability in this uncharted area of pandemic. As the situation evolves, we will continue to adapt and inform you as necessary. To free up email boxes, future updates will be found on our website: www.GoAdelante.org .

We appreciate your support during this difficult time. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

Mike Kivitz, President/CEO of Adelante