Cultivate Courage in This Time of Public Health Concern

Cultivate Courage in this Time of Public Health Concern

Dear Members,

We are a close-knit community. We understand your concerns about recent developments in the St. Louis area, and how worrisome a new virus is for both the US and our community.

We are all afraid of the unknown to some degree — and that is a deep emotion that the spread of COVID-19 has provoked for many people. There is a lot of information that we do not know about this virus, who has contracted it, and what impact it will have on the health of ourselves or our loved ones.

In these times of heightened fear, it is important to us to remain calm and courageous. At PALM, we are working from these five principles, which I’m sharing with you in hopes that they are helpful to you as well:

Accept what cannot be changed. We realize that we have to accept that we do not know who has been exposed to the virus, and that certainly there are people in our community who have been exposed and subsequently visited public places.
Stick to the facts. We are best informed when we seek and share factual information to reduce our public health exposure. It’s easy for the imagination to run wild when fear takes over, and any rumors that come our way only serve to stoke our fears. Confirming facts before sharing information, and trusting others to be truthful, is important for everyone in our community to feel safe, calm, and secure.
Effectively manage what we can control. PALM Health is following all CDC guidelines and has increased all preventive measures for the facility, members, and employees to be safe. Additionally, we are encouraging staff and members to practice proactive preventive measures to protect themselves and others while out in public. Our staff and members have told us that they are reassured that we are doing everything we can to keep PALM Health sanitary, and to help community members at large be informed, educated, and vigilant in their preventive approach to all viruses this season.
Maintain perspective. It is likely that COVID-19 will cause mild to moderate symptoms in most people. While there are growing numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US, it is still the case that people are more likely to catch and spread influenza (the flu). For the 2018-2019 influenza season, there were an estimated 35 million cases of flu and 34,000 deaths in the United States. What makes COVID-19 concerning is that there is not a vaccine to protect the immunocompromised and at-risk populations. Therefore, we all need to do our part to contain the spread of the virus.
Cultivate the courage to move through uncertainty one day at a time. Engage in practices that fortify your sense of strength and capability in the face of challenge. Works such as meditation, cardiac coherence, exercise, and art can all aid in releasing stress, restoring calm, and building resourcefulness.

I hope that PALM’s many recent communications with members regarding the virus has reassured you that we are committed to doing our utmost to keep PALM as clean and safe as possible.

We have created a section on our website where you can check for updates about COVID-19 and learn what we are doing to keep you as safe and healthy as we can.

Please reach out if we can be of further support to you.

Warmest regards,