An Important Update from the CEO

Dear WesleyLife Residents, Clients, Family Members, and Team Members,

In this challenging environment, our organizational priority every day remains helping to ensure the health and safety of the individuals we serve, and those who serve them. It takes a village each day to ensure that we are doing all we can, and I’d like to tell you about the ways we are working to achieve that goal.

• Our organizational COVID-19 Task Force is continuing to meet daily, Saturdays and Sundays included. Each member is responsible for a piece of a larger plan. We are accountable to one another, and to all of you, to ensure not only that our campuses are safe, but that the important work of WesleyLife is continuing on behalf of the thousands of individuals who count on us.
• Much of our work at this time revolves around safety and compliance. Our Operations and Clinical teams are aggregating guidance from numerous sources that govern how we work in this changing environment, including the Centers for Disease Control, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Iowa Department of Public Health. We take that guidance, cascade it, and make sure it is being followed for the health and safety of all involved.
• We are making it a priority to help ensure our clients who are sheltering in place receive the nutrition they need during a time of increased vulnerability. Because so many older adults and military veterans of all ages are remaining at home, we have the opportunity to serve more individuals than ever via WesleyLife Meals on Wheels.
• To facilitate expanded routes, we have been gratefully accepting donations of extra food from such partners as the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) and Capital City Fruit; welcoming increased financial donations; and onboarding new volunteer drivers. We are grateful for the efforts on the parts of so many to continue to serve those who need us most.

I shared with the Task Force last week that as strange as this may sound, we likely are witnessing one of our organization’s finest hours. I have heard a great many stories of residents and clients who are facing these days with an indomitable spirit; of family members who are graciously extending their gratitude even as they are unable to visit their loved ones; and of team members who are going above and beyond to keep residents engaged and connected.

We talk often of John Wesley’s advice to “do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” I have no idea how long the current situation will persist, but I can promise you that  WesleyLife will continue to follow that good advice daily. We are needed, and we are responding.

I’ll close with a request for prayer – for the most vulnerable among us, for the sick, and for the many healthcare professionals both in and outside our organization who are putting their own needs and worries aside to care for those who need them. May God bless them and keep them healthy.

Thank you for all your encouragement over these several days. As always, I am grateful to serve you.

Sincerely,
Rob Kretzinger, CEO
WesleyLife