How Our Members are Adapting to a Changing Economy
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many small businesses in Ulster County have chosen to change the way they do business. They’ve added new products or services or are completely re-thinking the way they do business.
We are proud to showcase the following Chamber Members who are adapting to this new economy…
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ACCESS has partnered with local businesses to produce hand sanitizer for sale and distribution. Click here to view products.
ACCESS knows that COVID-19 has increased stress and anxiety for everybody, and people with pre-existing mental health concerns are particularly vulnerable.
In response to this crisis, ACCESS has launched a Virtual Mental Health and Substance Use Urgent Care. Therapy, psychiatry, and peer support services will be available by phone and through telemedicine, 24/7 to adults and children, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. For help, call 888-750-2266, option 2.
Financial Assistance: We have provided $221,250 in financial assistance for rent and utilities to 295 households, including 1,180 individuals, who became sick, lost hours at work, or are awaiting unemployment benefits as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.
In partnership with The Kingston NY Mutual Aid Facebook Group, we have provided 100 mothers of infants in need of diapers and formula with $100 gift cards to Walmart. Please complete the request form for assistance.
United Way’s Free Tax Preparation Program brought in $281,038 in tax refunds and credits to 139 low-income Ulster County households. A survey of our tax clients showed that (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic), 97% of these funds would be used for basic needs including food, housing, and utilities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 100% of these funds will be used to cover basic needs.
Raising HOPE: Our women’s mentoring program, Raising HOPE, continues to expand its virtual workshops for mentors and mentees. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a Raising HOPE mentee, or you’d be willing to present a virtual workshop, please contact Program Director Amy Summers at asummers@ulsterunitedway.org.
COVID-19 Resources and Information: We continue to update the COVID-19 Resources and Information section of our website. There is a comprehensive list of Food Support, Childcare/Family, Mental Health/Health, Financial Support and General Resources (including legal assistance, business resources, educational opportunities, virtual tours & treks, and resources for LGBTQ, transgender, and senior Ulster County residents).
Project Resilience: For those experiencing food insecurity, we continue to refer them to Project Resilience, which has moved into Phase 2, limiting delivered prepared meals to those who are homebound, and providing groceries through local food pantries to others in need.
To receive groceries, contact the County’s COVID-19 Hotline at 845-443-8888.
Click to: request a meal, become a food provider, or donate to Project Resilience.
For more information on all United Way programs and services, please visit our website: www.ulsterunitedway.org
Michael Doyle, MD, Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer at HealthAlliance Hospitals was a guest on the WBPM Bob Miller radio show. Click here to hear this encouraging and informative interview.
Additionally, all of us here at WMCHealth know members of our community face significant stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 virus. To assist we have established a free, confidential hotline to support the community facing anxiety, challenges, and hardship.
The hotline, staffed by licensed and accredited members of our Behavioral Health Center team is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week at 914.216.7733. As an important partner of ours, we encourage you to utilize this service and communicate its availability to family and friends.
Marshall & Sterling Insurance provides a wide array of insurance, risk management and financial services. Contact Bill Gerlach at 845-235-7156. Watch message from Bill.
Covid-19 has curtailed important observances like Yom HaShoah, Yom Ha’Zikaron, Yom Ha’Atzmaut & PJ Library events- but it hasn't dampened our spirits! Click here to view these April events now online!
Historic Huguenot Street Launches New Digital Programming and Online Initiatives #MuseumsFromHome
Historic Huguenot Street has launched a new online programming initiative that includes engaging videos, hands-on activities, special deals from the museum shop available for delivery, and new ways to participate and explore its exhibitions, archives, and collection. Collections are available 24/7 through New York Heritage Digital Collections. Virtual experiences will be available on the museum’s website and shared through its social-media channels using the hashtag #MuseumsFromHome. You can also download the free Walking Tour App.
We are taking a break from serving up food from the restaurant, but a lot of people have been asking about getting supplies from us. SO, we will be running a bit of a micro-grocery/bar/bodega for now, in addition to putting a couple hundred meals for Project Resilience a week. Please check the offerings from our website, and if you don't see something, ask and we'll try to get it for you. Fresh Meat, Fish and Produce will be available on Tuesday and Friday but must be pre-ordered at least the day before. Other goods are available whenever I'm around, which is often. We have flour, sugar, eggs, butter, cocktail olives, wine, beer, soda, toilet paper, and more. We can probably arrange deliveries for larger orders too. This is a new model for us, so please be patient. DM on Facebook for more info or special requests. Thank you!
The Woodstock Film Festival's offices are closed and all staff are working remotely. Please subscribe to the festival’s mailing list at https://bit.ly/WFF-news to get the latest updates about its new virtual programming offerings, including the "Virtual Films & Conversations” https://bit.ly/Alt Projections and "Alternative Projections” series https://bit.ly/Virtual-Films-Convos. Visit woodstockfilmfestival.org for more information.
O+ launched a new daily series of mindfulness-based stress reduction called The LO+ving Kindness. Each free 30-minute online session take place every weekday at 2 p.m. EDT.
The LO+ving Kindness provides stress reduction exercises, space to check-in with your heart, and an opportunity to build resilience as we go through this turbulent time together.
Although we will miss your smiling faces, for your safety and ours the office is closed to the public at this time. HOWEVER! We are still able to fully service your policies and meet all your insurance needs! We will be working via telephone, email, fax and dropbox during our normal business hours, Monday thru Friday, 9am to 5pm. Zoom consultations upon request. www.naccaratoinsurance.com Office: (845) 246-7134 Fax: (845) 246-0852.
As some of you may know, American Solutions for Business is a supplier to Hospitals and other Healthcare Businesses. With the breakout of the COVID-19 Virus we now have expanded these products to badly needed protective supplies. Click here to view of some of these supplies that can be purchased from us. Because of the very high demand, our suppliers are asking for prepayments for these products and we have to pass this on to our customers. Also, there are no order cancellations once placed. We will refund for any damaged product you receive. Please feel free to contact John Burlingham at jburlingham@americanbus.com with questions or if you wish to place an order.
Thank you for thinking of American Solutions for Business
We are lucky to be surrounded by the “helpers” everyday here at People’s Place. With more than 29,000 meals handed out last week we need your help more than ever. Help us keep up with the demand for food for those in our community, please donate. THANK YOU.
We are maintaining our regular hours of operation....The Bag Student Hunger program is a bag of groceries containing breakfast, lunch and snacks to last a week and additionally twice a month you may pick-up family groceries in the fresh air M-F 10:00 am - 1:00 pm and Weds. 5:30 - 7:30 pm at our Food Pantry. Our Community Cafe is making food To Go. 8:30 am - 1:00pm M-F.
We're still open and we're ready to help local businesses! In light of the Coronavirus situation, we are glad to offer solutions to notify your customers about business changes and how you can still serve them. To help support our local business community we are offering a special discount of 50% OFF on banners and coroplast signs that detail policy changes, modified hours or temporary closures related to Covid-19. Please contact us by email fastsigns.638@fastsigns.com, or by phone (845) 331-5800
Shawn, Todd, Amy, and Glenn
FASTSIGNS of Kingston
Usheco, Inc. is now offering Distance Barriers/Sneeze Guards for checkouts in grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, etc.
Please help spread the word! #partofthesolution #plasticmanufacturing #howcanwehelp #COVID #COVID19 #flattenthecurve
Thank you to everyone who is working in food distribution; for going into work each day with the potential for exposure. We appreciate your work during this unimaginable time.
We are proud to support our local community. During times like these, it's even more apparent how we are all connected to one another, even while apart. 100% of the profit of this T shirt is donated to Ulster Counties Project Resilience. Support Our Community
Maria Cabrera Alterations has launched a new site to produce face masks during the pandemic. The new site is masks-by-maria.myshopify.com. The team at Maria Cabrera Alterations has already hand sewn thousands of masks, which have been donated to doctors, nurses, food pantries, essential medical staff, grocery store employees, seniors and those at high risk. Maria is reaching out to the community to sponsor a mask to be donated. Thank you, in advance, for helping Maria Cabrera and her staff make a difference.
Get a Gift Card, Give a Gift Card!
Now through Monday, April 6 for every $100 you spend on Emerson Resort & Spa Gift Card purchases, we'll donate a $10 Gift Card to Family of Woodstock!* Call 845.688.2828, option 0 to purchase.
Emerson gift cards can be used now for Woodnotes Grille takeout OR, use them at the Emerson Spa, The Shops at Emerson or overnight stays when we reopen.
*Up to a $50 maximum donation per person.
Here's our incentive to you!
Spend up to $100 and receive 15% off. Use code 15OFF
Spend $100 to $250 and receive 20% off. Use code 20OFF
Spend over $250 and receive 25% off. Use code 25OFF
As we all practice responsible social distancing in the face of the danger COVID-19 poses to our community, there’s the danger of feeling isolated and without support. But there’s a lot we can all do to stay in contact and remind those around us that they’re not alone. All of us at the Center want to make that as easy as possible, and hopefully keep any of the amazing support groups here at the center from suffering a lapse in meeting.
We’ve created a private online space to host groups, should you find that you, as a group facilitator or attendee still want a way to meet during the quarantine. These groups are completely private and invisible to those who don’t belong to your group, and this includes Center staff. View Online Groups Page.
In this time of uncertainty, PlugPV Solar is dedicated to helping local organizations and their members. We offer all non-profit organizations an opportunity to not only raise money, but help their members in the process. From now until 4/30 anyone that refers a customer to PlugPV receives a check for $50 if the referred customer has an in-home or virtual presentation. If the referred customer moves forward and gets a system installed, the person or non-profit organization that referred that customer will get an additional $1,000!!! This is a lot of money!! By signing up as a “SunRaising” partner, your group will receive $1,000 for every solar installation we do through that relationship. After April 30, any referral that gets installed with PlugPV Solar will still get your organization $500. THIS IS AT NO COST TO YOU! Simply go to plugpv.com, scroll down to the orange “Sunraising” link, and register your group. Please put Roger Weisman as the PlugPV representative, so that your group will be properly credited for any installation. You will receive an email with instructions to attach that link to your site, and then you promote it to your members however you wish.
UnitedHealth Group is Hiring! Entry level positions are open in Kingston, NY. You can also email resumes to erika_richoz@uhg.com
Special Needs Member Advisor - Kingston, NY (Job Fair) (865286)
Bruderhof's Community Playthings is working with Ulster County and has dedicated design resources for personal protection equipment, including face shields, masks and gowns, as well as privacy screens and even hospital beds if necessary, said Johann Huleatt, outreach director for the Bruderhof.
If anyone finds themselves or their loved ones reaching for alcohol or self-Medication during these anxious, stressful times we at the Villa are here for them. We do take insurance but if they lost it, we will offer to help with whatever they can afford ....call our admissions office for screening criteria 845-626-3555 or they can call me direct, Sue Cusack co-Founder 914-656-5112
Organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic are having employees work from home. Unfortunately, working from home is nowhere near as cyber-secure as working in an office.
While there’s a rush to adapt remote work solutions, establishing secure IT systems and protocols in this environment require some thought. Beyond connectivity and network concerns, Internet of Things devices like security cameras and baby monitors present security threats. Now is the time for companies to look at their security procedures for remote access. All endpoints and connections to the organization-wide network need a security evaluation.
Preparations are required to make sure company systems can support a critical mass of staff suddenly working remotely. These should conform to the standard Risk Management Framework: Detect, Identify, Respond, Protect and Recover.
Cyber Guardian is offering a pro-bono assessments to organization having trouble setting up secure work-from-home systems. Email us at hello@cgcg.biz or call 845-444-8273 for a copy.
I would like to let everyone know that we are ready to help all members of the chamber as well as other business in our community combat this Corona Virus scare. Let us help you take precautionary steps to professionally clean your office, school or small business. We are currently helping local businesses combat the Corona Virus. Call to schedule with us today at 877-248-6242.
The New York State of Health has announced a Special Enrollment from March 16, 2020 to April 15, 2020 to ease coronavirus fears for New York State residents and help those in need of health insurance.
Fidelis Care is doing its part during this national health emergency. We are here to help those who need or lack quality affordable health coverage. Our enrollment staff are able to enroll BY TELEPHONE to ensure the health and safety of all.
I can be reached at 845-372-3031 to further assist you. We look forward to working with you during this difficult time. Thank You, Ruth Stratton, Community Relations Specialist for Sullivan and Ulster Counties
In response to the COVID-19 situation, the New York State of Health has announced a special enrollment period for those still in need of health insurance. And MVP is here to help! Our team members are available and able to enroll individuals in the coverage they need by phone. Coverage will begin as early as April 1. For details on MVP plan options, visit www.mvphealthcare.com
How can we help you and your clients during this difficult time? A phone consultation can also be scheduled with an MVP team member by calling 1-800-TALK-MVP.
Please do not hesitate to reach out. We are here to help!