March 26, 2020
Dear Families and Supporters of The Arc of Howard County
As many of you know, this is an unprecedented time with the continued spread of COVID-19. Due to the growing spread of this virus in our community, we are taking every precaution to protect the people we serve and our staff who provide critical supports to those individuals. It has been with great thought and consideration we have decided to continue our suspension of specific services offered by The Arc of Howard County.
As of today, Thursday, March 26, 2020, our Day, Supported Retirement, CDS, Pre-employment classroom, and Omnicare will continue to be closed through April 24, 2020. We will review the conditions in our community and determine whether services will resume after April 24th, as we monitor the county and state situations related to the COVID-19 virus.
Individuals with community-based employment will continue to receive supports on a case-by-case basis. We feel that it is the most responsible action as we align with other entities in the state and county to flatten the curve of this virus in our community. This is a time that integration in the community is not the priority. Our goal is to minimize contact and encourage increased social distancing.
Our senior management will be deploying staff to support our residential program which will ensure supports are in place to provide the necessary care. It is our hope that each and every family affected by these changes will understand this decision and work cooperatively to help us achieve the goals of this action.
Both Maryland State Governor Larry Hogan and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, have spoken of their efforts to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We must work collaboratively and do our part to ensure we minimize the effects of this virus on our community.
If you have questions or are seeking additional information related to these programs’ continued suspensions, please reach out to the individuals listed below.
- For questions about Day and Supported Retirement, contact Bryan Sorrentino, bsorrentino@archoward.org 443-668-1834.
- For questions about CDS and Intro to Employment, Independent Employment Omnicare, contact Robert Walker rwalker@archoward.org 443-977-0148.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation amidst these difficult times.
Regards,
Cindy Parr
Cindy Parr
Executive Director
