Friends, Mounties, and CSEA Chapter 262 brothers and sisters, your Chapter 262 Leadership Team wants you to know how incredibly humbled and proud we are to work beside you at Mt. SAC. Every day your hard work and professionalism translates to helping Mt. SAC achieve its mission, helping students achieve their personal and academic goals, and helping to improve the lives of our members, students, and community.
Since the start of the novel coronavirus emergency, many of you have been concerned, and rightfully so, about the health and safety of your families. Yet, while your primary concern has been for family, you have also managed to continue demonstrating your determination and dedication to the college’s ongoing mission. While there have been times of confusion and a flurry of messages coming from all angles, you have all adapted well to our new normal. Through it all, virtually everyone’s primary concern has been about the health and safety of our students, faculty, administrators and managers, and your classified colleagues. You have been nothing short of outstanding.
Earlier today, Mt. SAC President Bill Scroggins informed the campus community that one of our Mt. SAC employees has been hospitalized with a confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus. The entire leadership team wishes to extend our sincerest hope that our Mt. SAC colleague will recover fully and quickly. Your Chapter 262 leaders want you to know that we will continue to work with President Scroggins and the District in any way we can to get us all through this emergency.
We also want you to know we are still here to serve you as well. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact any one of us (e-mail addresses linked to names below). If you have any questions about leaves, your rights, or what Mt. SAC is doing to keep you safe, please contact us. Your Chapter 262 Leadership Team stands strong with you, supporting you, ready to assist any way we can during this crisis and into the future.
We want you to be safe above all, so we continue to advise you that if you are sick, if you develop symptoms, or if you think you have been exposed, contact your primary care physician for instructions and advice. If you want accurate, reliable, truthful information about coronavirus, symptoms, how to care for yourself or other family who are sick, or any other health-related topic, here are links to reliable resources:
· World Health Organization (WHO, International)
· Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, National)
· California Department of Public Health (CDPH, State)
· Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH, County)
If you have questions and would like to speak to a person, you can call the Los Angeles County Information line 2-1-1, which is available 24 hours a day.
Protect Yourself — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created a web site with information about how the virus spreads, the symptoms, and how to protect yourself. There is even an instructional video about washing your hands. Yes, washing hands and surfaces around the home is extremely important. You can read all about this and more at the CDC web page by following this link here.
Friends, please stay safe and healthy. Remain vigilant and follow the health department guidelines for distancing and self-isolation, clean and disinfect your homes regularly, and STAY HOME unless going out for essentials like food, medicine, and pet care needs. We will overcome. We will eventually get back to “normal.” We will do this together.