COVID-19 hit hard, and numerous businesses and organizations were impacted. Changes were made, especially at Jay Nolan Community Services, to better adapt to the situation at hand. It wasn’t easy, but our many incredible supported individuals and staff really stepped up to the challenge. JNCS persevered and came out a better and far stronger organization.
Resilience in the Jay Nolan Community
While there were struggles along the way, JNCS was resilient and committed to providing the best level of care despite the difficult circumstances surrounding the pandemic. One year on, we work hard every day to continue providing services at a high level while also keeping our staff and supported individuals healthy. To meet this goal, JNCS is encouraging our staff to get the vaccine. The goal is to protect the individuals we support, their families, and the families of our employees. Remaining healthy also positively impacts those not in our immediate circle.
Vaccination Making a BIG Impact
One of our supported individuals, Val, recently received her vaccine. Val’s support staff are proud of the initiative she displayed in getting the vaccine and returning to work. It was crucial that Val received the vaccine considering her job at the supermarket where she’s worked for over 17 years; there is a constant flow of people from many different places. By getting vaccinated, Val is keeping herself, her circle, and the people around her safe.
Val’s support staff supervisor, Zeina Babapoor, also got the vaccine. She is “so happy [she] did it because [she’s] the example for staff and other folks.” Zeina highlights the fact that we must help ourselves in order to help others during this time. Val’s support person, Sandra, is on the same page as Zeina: they both believe that while some may not desire to get the vaccine, it’s a necessity to protect ourselves and others to keep people safe and healthy. Zeina reminds us that their job is very hands on and in their line of work it is better to be safe than sorry. It is not just their lives that are put at risk, it’s everyone that surrounds them.
Getting back to normalcy 
As more and more people are vaccinated we can start to see things returning to normal and rates of COVID-19 declining. Zeina commented how exciting it has been to see businesses starting to open up again. It is encouraging, especially for our supported individuals who enjoy going out. Zeina and Sandra have the hope that supported individuals in our community and the staff of JNCS will continue receiving their vaccinations so that we can see the continued steps back to normalcy. The more we work together, the better the outcome will be.
Written by: Noelle Amey (JNCS Social Media Representative)
Visit our COVID-19 Resources page for more information about the vaccine roll out.
