At Immanuel, our Mission drives everything we do. Every decision, strategic plan, investment, and experiment is made to achieve Christ-Centered Service to Seniors, Each Other, and the Community.
Through that relentless pursuit, many decisions were made to achieve our three-fold Mission over the last three years. Leaders across our service area constantly met to navigate the pandemic and its impacts on our seniors and staff. The leadership team and Executive Directors were faced with difficult situations to address:
• How would we safely provide meals for our seniors?
• How could we provide programming while social distancing?
• How would we assure residents and participants stay connected to family and friends safely?
• What measures could we implement to ensure the staff’s safety in their interactions?
• What could we do to ease the burden of the pandemic on Immanuel employees across all business lines?
• How could we keep staff engaged, motivated, and appreciated?
• How could we avoid laying off employees?
Through the leadership of our Executive Directors, Vice Presidents, Chiefs, and Board of Directors, Immanuel invested in our communities, centers, and staff to ensure our Mission impact continued during those unprecedented times.
Service to our Seniors:
During the pandemic, our teams provided balcony concerts, hallway activities, socially distanced luaus, reindeer holiday parades, and daily food packages. We assisted 96% of our residents in fully vaccinating and created opportunities for our PACE participants to receive immunizations. We were among the first in Nebraska retirement communities to access the vaccine through onsite clinics.
We invested in Zoom, FaceTime, and Skype so our residents and participants could engage with their friends and families and ensure seamless functioning of the organization. We developed a dedicated website for families to engage with their loved ones. We provided virtual tours for prospective residents and spiritual guidance at every step for our participants and residents.
While the remainder of the world was on hold, Immanuel took the opportunity to grow our Mission of service to seniors and welcomed two new communities (The Grand Lodge in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Deerfield in Des Moines, Iowa).
We also constructed and opened the Newport House and the Graceview Courtyard, and completed the second phase of construction at Pacific Springs.
Service to our Community:
Many senior living organizations closed their doors for good during the pandemic. In 2020 & 2021, most organizations stopped sponsorships, donations, and charitable giving. But in those two years, Immanuel awarded a total of $5,596,160 to non-profit, charitable 501(c)(3) organizations that met seniors’ physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
In 2021 alone, the Immanuel Community Foundation provided $416,895 in support of residents, participants, and employees.
Service to Each Other:
The social unrest in the summer of 2020 inspired Immanuel to reflect on the words of our mission statement. Immanuel realized that it was not fairly compensating its front-line staff, and immediately implemented the Workforce Transformation Initiative.
In 2021, Immanuel invested nearly $4.4m in Covid related pay and expenses. This included compassion and hero pay for those working directly with COVID-19-positive individuals and other COVID-19 employment benefits, personal protective equipment, and other costs to keep our seniors and employees safe.
$290,048 - Admin Pay: Paying employees to stay home due to exposure
$20,375 - Come Together Cash
$1,687,150 - Compassion Pay: Lump sum bonuses provided to employees
$78,350 - COVID Bonuses: Management bonuses for COVID related planning
$391,612 - Hero Pay Yellow: Hazard pay for COVID exposures
$1,181,963 - Hero Pay Red: Hazard Pay for COIVD positives
$363,991 - COVID Time Off: Time off earned working with COVID positive residents / participants
$375,271- COVID Pay (ETS): Government mandated COVID pay
$4,000,000 - Workforce Transformation Initiative
Total additional pay: $8,388,762
Through the leadership of our Executive Directors, Vice Presidents, Chiefs, and Board of Directors, Immanuel did not lay off or furlough a single employee during Covid. As an organization, we increased wages for employees and provided flexibility for working from home.
Now, it’s our time to thank the leaders who faced difficult challenges and made decisive action over the last three years, navigating us through the pandemic.
“You always have to remember to take care of yourself first and foremost, because when you stop taking care of yourself, you get out of balance, and you really forget how to take care of others.” - Jada Pinkett Smith
As an organization, we understand the significance of having employees who are leaders in the senior living field. We also understand that for our leaders to be able to innovate, create, and care for seniors and staff, we must intentionally invest in their resilience.
The Board of Directors recognizes your commitment and sacrifice over the last three years, and has authorized Immanuel’s “Fostering Resilience” program. All Executive Directors, Vice Presidents, and Chiefs who have been with Immanuel through the advent of the pandemic and the difficult year of recovery will be eligible to participate in a two-week Fostering Resilience program. The program is an intentional step away from the day-to-day to focus on fostering a revitalization of our Mission, purpose, and our Christ Promises.
During these two weeks away from work, eligible leaders will be free to invest in activities to help them refocus on their dedication to Immanuel’s Mission and revitalize themselves after a very difficult three years. They can spend time continuing their education, volunteering, cultivating a new or existing hobby, investing in spiritual reflection and development, or conducting focused research in the employee’s particular area of expertise.
Each of you has been a crucial part of leading during some of Immanuel’s most challenging times over the past three years. Without your dedication to the residents, participants, and your team, we would not be where we are today. Now is the time to take this exciting opportunity to rejuvenate and dedicate time just for you.
Thank you for your dedication and service to the Mission!