Commitment to safety, morale, and to St. Ann’s Community, Pt. I
By Michael E. McRae
President & CEO, St. Ann’s Community
March 22nd, 2022
So many of my communications start out the same way – me praising the employees of St. Ann’s for truly being the hardest working individuals I know. While this message is no different, I also want to take a moment to commend our team for always bringing a positive attitude. It may have to do with the days getting longer, and the temperature reaching 70 degrees last weekend, but I am certain this palpable boost in morale has a lot to do with all that has been happening right here at St. Ann’s.
There seems to be a new sense of confidence throughout our community – and part of this comes from the feeling of safety. We are all vaccinated, boosted, and regularly tested. We’ve fought the COVID-19 battle for so long, and now we are able to take a breath of fresh air. As we know, that breath of fresh air never means letting your guard down… quite the opposite, actually.
Left: Angel Franco, Purchasing Associate | Right: Sgt. Perkins, Security
Each member of our community is so knowledgeable on what it takes to keep our residents and staff safe. Purchasing & Receiving, Reception, Nursing and IT – all departments have contributed to this feeling we have – this sense of joy, relief, and optimism, that we are all working together to ensure the health and safety of one another.
Each week, 1000 employees can take home COVID tests to self-administer. Behind the scenes of this effort are our receiving, purchasing, and security departments – repackaging these kits and distributing to employees. In February alone we had over 6,000 visitors to our Portland Avenue Campus, and each and every one of those individuals had to take a COVID test (or show proof of negative COVID test) prior to entering. This could not have happened without the collaborative effort of our reception team, our employee health and admissions teams – all of whom helped distribute tests and document results. These examples just scratch the surface of all that is taking place.
We’re often asked, “When will this testing end, when will the mask mandate end, when will things return to normal?” While I don’t have the answer (and our staff, families, and residents will be the first to know), I cannot help but be beyond grateful for our elders who have fought through it all, and for our staff who continue to grow stronger every day.