Dear community,
Efforts to connect patients with virtual care were expedited, as the foremost priority was the ability to serve clients while keeping them — and CSS staff — safe.
Staff who could work off-site were sent to work remotely, while those who remained on-site or in the community were outfitted with proper personal protective equipment and provided with safety protocols. Staff members who continued seeing clients outside the agency received hazard pay.
A community-based lunch program was initiated to ensure that individuals who visited the CSS homeless outreach center would not be without food during the initial shutdown orders.
With the shutdown in March 2020, we were faced with canceling our annual fundraiser, Art of Recovery. Rather than cancel, we transformed the event into a virtual auction and live event. The modified event ended up being our most successful Art of Recovery to date.
Through it all, CSS was undergoing a rebranding, to increase the visibility of our range of services in the community; services that remain critical.
The pandemic has significantly — perhaps permanently — changed the way we do business. Regardless, CSS is moving forward with a renewed sense of purpose in the work we do to support those with severe and persistent mental illness.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing care with dedication, determination, resiliency, and compassion.
Aaron Kurchev
Chair, Board of Trustees
Bob Stokes,
President & CEO