Dear Bloom Residents, Families & Friends:

Thank you for everything you're doing to take care of Bloom residents (even emotionally and virtually), your own lives, and each other - we know how challenging this time is. But as we’ve seen over the last few weeks through videos from the Bloom Owners, Residents, Families and Associates / Warriors, our community has adapted and we’re getting through this together and stronger!

Brene Brown’s manifesto of the brave and brokenhearted, from her New York Times Bestseller  Rising Strong , reminds us of our remarkable Bloom community:

There is no greater threat to the critics and cynics and fearmongers 
Than those of us who are willing to fall
Because we have learned how to rise. 
With skinned knees and bruised hearts; 
We choose owning our stories of struggle, 
Over hiding, over hustling, over pretending.
When we deny our stories, they define us. 
When we run from struggle, we are never free. 
So we turn toward truth and look it in the eye. 
We will not be characters in our stories. 
Not villains, not victims, not even heroes. 
We are the authors of our lives. 
We write our own daring endings. 
We craft love from heartbreak,
Compassion from shame, 
Grace from disappointment, 
Courage from failure. 
Showing up is our power. 
Story is our way home. 
Truth is our song. 
We are the brave and brokenhearted. 
We are rising strong.

In living a brave life, which isn’t always easy, we’re inevitably going to fall. But Rising Strong inspiringly teaches us that it’s the rise from the fall and the regaining of our footing -- in the midst of struggle and adversity -- where our courage is tested, values are forged and we’ll find the clearest path to a wholehearted life. It’s a reminder about what it takes to get back up and how owning our stories of struggles gives us the power to write a daring new ending! Thank you all for being brave - even if you may be feeling brokenhearted - and for shining the light for our residents, associates, community and each other. What we have all been called to do in this time is not easy, but we'll continue to rise strong and celebrate each other and our love for our Bloom community.

It's against this backdrop that we're happy to report that Bloom continues to rise by creating new memories for our residents and successfully fighting this virus in order keep our residents safe, flourishing, laughing and loved. Our owners and corporate directors are still meeting daily with our on-site teams and reviewing, and re-reviewing, trainings, policies and Bloom's Pandemic Rapid Response Plan. Our on-site teams continue to restrict community access, screen vigilantly, track anyone experiencing symptoms, isolate, test anyone experiencing symptoms (on-site at Bloom through our FDA-approved laboratory partnership), social distance and provide the care and services our residents expect. But we're doing even more -- as our Bloomers know, one of our Bloom Beliefs is to Be Better Each Day . If their is a silver lining to this, it's that we've learned how to be an even better operator, caregiver and improve / strengthen our clinical programs consistent with our mission of ensuring residents bloom. Our data is preliminarily showing that Telehealth, frequent temperature and O2 checks and even more aggressive monitoring and re-assessments are allowing Bloom to intervene sooner and reduce physician and laboratory visits, hospitalizations and transfers to higher levels of care like skilled nursing. In that vein, while our entire team is contributing to these results, we want to honor our nursing heroes during this National Nurses Week (May 6 – 12, 2020). At the frontline of this world health crisis, our nursing professionals are making lifesaving differences every day and our wonderful Bloom nurses are no exception! 

It's incredible what we've accomplished in just the last 60-days, and this time period will perhaps be the most important chapter of our family story that began in 1965! We not only continue to have no known cases of COVID-19 in our 9 Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care communities serving over 750 residents, but our residents are staying healthier and flourishing, our culture is extraordinary and our operation is getting even stronger. We invite you to watch our videos and visit our Facebook page, so you can see for yourself these words in action.

We've made no decisions yet on relaxing internal or external restrictions, or a re-opening plan, but the foregoing principles are being built into that plan. While we're aware some providers may be opening their doors soon, Bloom will make its balanced decision guided by a variety of factors -- economics will not trump safety. Our company and Bloom communities are very financially healthy, and our decision-making - as always and consistent with our Bloom Beliefs (i.e. Do The Right Thing , Earn Trust ) - will be driven by what's in the best interest of our residents, their families and associates.