APRIL 2020
NEWSFEED
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION Staff responding during a pandemic
ALAMEDA COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY • OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS & COMMUNITY RELATIONS • EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
IN THIS ISSUE 1 Essentially Connected 1 Reflections from the Front Line 3 The Elasticity of Kindness Can Never Be Masked 4 Essential Faces, Meeting Essential Needs
County of Alameda Social Services Agency
Essentially Connected
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WRITTEN BY: Sylvia Soublet, Director of Public Affairs and Community Relations
he faces behind the masks are not strangers. We know them. We recognize the voices. We’ve looked into their eyes. Even the glove-clad hands seem strangely familiar. But the circumstances are foreign to us. We alternate between concern and commitment, trying to contain our emotions ranging from sadness to fear as we consume the news stories night after night. Social Services Agency staff at every level—whether working in the office, at home, or in the community—start each workday knowing we are not invulnerable. There is no playbook for this. We are trying our best to navigate this turbulent terrain and maintain some semblance of normalcy during the most abnormal of times.
As with most crises, a new lexicon has emerged that captures the magnitude of the moment: essential worker, social distancing, flatten the curve, non-essential worker, physical isolation, bend the curve, and physical distancing. We have learned new ways to connect beyond physical presence through virtual happy hour, virtual dance party, virtual birthday celebrations, and even virtual religious services. We adapt our behavior as circumstances dictate. Beyond fear, loss, uncertainty, terminology, and news reports, one simple fact has emerged: we are essentially connected beyond job titles, socio-economics, ethnicity, income ranges, gender orientation, and political affiliation. Continued on page 2
Top center: Staff at the Eastmont SelfSufficiency Center Right (top): Customers in line outside the Eden Area Multi-Service Center Right (bottom): Staff at the North Oakland office