PRA friends and colleagues,
I hope that this note finds you well as we all deal with COVID-19 challenges. These are strange times, and we know there is a lot of stress on many levels. It is not business as usual, but we persevere, and together we are finding creative solutions to our current realities.
The PRA Delmar office might be empty, but our staff in the Capital Region and across the country (about a fifth of our workforce) are hard at work at home, continuing their research and technical assistance activities. They continue to provide vital information to communities to improve systems of care for those with behavioral health needs. Whether that is by conducting virtual site visits to work with states on their plans to end Veteran suicide, holding conference calls with jurisdictions implementing behavioral health strategies to reduce their jail populations, hosting virtual meetings with Communities of Practice sites working on issues around competence restoration and reentry, or training case managers to complete disability benefit applications for eligible individuals experiencing homelessness, we continue to deliver high-quality and timely services.
As we were faced with making quick decisions about how to continue the important work we do to create positive social change during this challenging time, we were (and are) grateful to be well-poised to do so with our current technology systems, which allow us to continue to stay connected with each other and with all of you.
I hope that you and your families are staying safe and remaining healthy. While this situation is stressful and disruptive in so many ways, we at PRA are thankful for the opportunity to continue working together to get this critical work done.