Message Board

COVID-19 Update from GSA – [17 Mar. 2020]

Dear GSA Members and Friends:

On behalf of the GSA Council and staff, I am sending this message of support and good wishes to all who are impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The safety and well being of our communities across the U.S., and the entire globe, are our highest priorities. We are following precautionary safety measures provided by state and national authorities including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and we want to update you on steps we are taking, recent programmatic impacts, and how we will communicate future developments as they relate to GSA.

Our goal is to deal with the challenges of COVID-19 as proactively, thoroughly, and thoughtfully as we can. These decisions are not easy and we understand that we must all do our part to “flatten the curve.”

GSA remains open for business on our regular schedule, 8am-5pm Monday through Friday, MDT, with employees working remotely to respect “social distancing” guidelines. We continue to be responsive to emails and phone calls from members, partners, and other stakeholders, and are striving to minimize disruptions. We will update you should anything change on this front.

GSA travel for staff and volunteers has been suspended. Spring leadership meetings will be held virtually for the protection of all involved. The remaining three regional Section Meetings scheduled for May have been cancelled, but we are committed to finding innovative ways to continue delivering programs and services. Watch for updates about virtual options for these meetings.

The opening of abstract submissions, registration, and housing for our Annual Meeting in Montréal (24-28 October) have been moved back to early June, as we keep a close eye on developments and CDC recommendations for stemming the pandemic.

We will continue to monitor the latest updates in regard to COVID-19; recognizing that circumstances are fluid and situations may change quickly. We will all work to be as flexible as possible in monitoring and adapting our position in this changing environment. Again, we will continue to keep all our GSA friends and family updated on decisions in the days and weeks ahead.

We encourage all of you to give thoughtful consideration where you can to those who may be most affected, to support each other in your community, and to keep your spirits up. We are all in this together!

Best regards,

Vicki McConnell, GSA Executive Director