We came together as a team in March and made proactive, solid, and sometimes unpopular decisions to ensure that we did what was necessary. Our number one priority has been and will continue to be the health and safety of our Extension employees, as well as our clientele with whom we have regular contact. Some things are changing daily, and the health advisory system is only updated weekly. We will do our best to keep you informed as to any changes we, or the university, will need to make.
I understand the struggle of changing priorities and the strain of uncertainty. This is not an easy time to be in a service-oriented profession, but I know that you are all concerned about the current and future health and well-being of our peers and colleagues, as well as our 4-H and FCS youth, volunteers, farmers, industry partners, businesses, and communities. There is light at the end of this struggle as vaccines begin to make their way into public health system. Remain strong, reach out for help when you are feeling overwhelmed, and know that we will emerge from this with a renewed understanding of the value of what we do and with some new tools for achieving our mission.
Keep the lines of communication open locally and with your supervisors, stakeholders, commissioners, and OSU Extension administration. Remember, the community spread remains fluid and ever-changing. We may need to modify this guidance at any time. Be prepared to accomplish things via telework and have signage and communications prepared if your county is approaching purple or as a proactive planning measure in all counties. Again, I truly appreciate your commitment to our mission and one another’s well-being.