June 25, 2020

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear Kemp Mill Village Members and Volunteers,

Due to the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus outbreak, the Board of Kemp Mill Village felt that a temporary suspension of events and services was necessary. All village events are now online through Zoom and most volunteer services are suspended.  A new Virtual Presentations page will display past events.

We did not take this decision lightly. The health and safety of each of you—our members and volunteers—is our most important concern. Our actions will reduce the likelihood of illness among our Village family and help slow down the disease’s progress in the greater DC region.

Below are some bullet points of quick information. We will continue to regularly update our website and will send out important emails as needed. 

FOR FULL MEMBERS

• All visits, rides, most grocery shopping, and all in-home tasks are canceled for the time being.
• We strongly advise you to subscribe to a home delivery service for groceries, medicines, pet supplies and more. We will provide as much assistance with that as possible.

• Prescription pickup may be provided if volunteers are available.

FOR ALL MEMBERS (ASSOCIATE & FULL)

• All events, social activities, interest groups, etc. are postponed or will be online by Zoom for the time being. Most special events have also been postponed.
  
• We’re exploring alternative means to keep you socially connected from the virus-free comfort of your own home.
• For practicing social distancing without being totally isolated socially, we recommend having regular tele-meetups with friends and arranging lunches, coffee chats, or even workouts over Zoom
• We have started some Virtual Interest Groups for Village members during this time period. During these Zoom calls, we will share information about how to best pass the time while socially isolating.
  
• If you are interested in becoming part of these groups or starting a new group, please email Sandy Axelrod at axelrod.sandy9@gmail.com with your name, phone number, email address, and the name(s) of the group or groups that you wish to join, and she will send you the time and call-in information.

EMERGENCY CONTACTS—IMPORTANT FOR ALL MEMBERS

• Your emergency contact information on file with the Village must be updated. Even if you’re pretty sure we have the correct information, please send it to us again! We need names, phones and emails for each of your contacts. Email the information to KMV Communications Committee at communications@kempmillvillage.org.
• Make sure your emergency contacts know to call or email the Village if you become ill or have other needs. Our phone is 1-833-KMV-20902. Our email address is KempMillVillage@gmail.com.  Please ask your emergency contacts to keep this information handy.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU BECOME ILL

• Watch for typical flu-like symptoms—fever, cough, difficulty breathing, fatigue, etc. Some patients report a sore throat, headache, indigestion and diarrhea, but these are uncommon.
• Call your primary healthcare provider first. Do NOT go to the emergency room unless it’s critical and you can’t reach your healthcare provider. Emergency rooms are likely to be overflowing with ill patients, and if you don’t have COVID-19 when you arrive there, you’ll might by the time you leave.
• Call or email the Village to let us know of your diagnosis AS SOON AS POSSIBLE—even if your case is mild and the doctor has sent you home. If you’re unable to call, ask your emergency contact to get in touch with us. Especially over the next couple of weeks, knowing who becomes ill might help us let others know they could have been exposed to the virus.

As always, your Village is here for you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of our staff if you need assistance or just need a little reassurance!