Like every organization and company in Cincinnati and around the nation, Uptown Consortium, Inc. (UCI) has shifted to new ways of working during the COVID-19 crisis. We’ve adjusted to working remotely, video calls are the new normal for meetings, and social distancing from our co-workers and partners is critical to flatten the curve.
Over the past few weeks, UCI has also pivoted to increase our efforts on supporting small businesses in Uptown. With current closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, many companies and organizations are hurting in our community. These businesses—from restaurants to nonprofits and manufacturers—need our support now more than ever.
For years, UCI has partnered with HCDC, Inc. to provide business coaching services to for-profit and nonprofit organizations in the five Uptown neighborhoods. Now, HCDC is providing additional support services to help local businesses navigate state-wide closures and prepare to reopen down the road. As a member of HCDC’s board of directors, I’ve seen firsthand the amazing work they do in Uptown and throughout the city.
In addition to the many small businesses that make up our community, Uptown is home to the highest concentration of hospitals, healthcare workers and researchers in the region at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, UC Health, TriHealth, The Christ Hospital and the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. We want to express our gratitude to healthcare professionals working tirelessly to provide life-saving care and develop new innovations to help change the course of this pandemic throughout the city. Doctors, nurses, physicians, administrators, and so many others are working around the clock to save lives, and as a community, we can support them.
These are unprecedented times, and that uncertainty is uncomfortable for many businesses in Uptown. We want to help bring awareness to resources available to help.
Local organizations and businesses, like Clifton Cares and Mio’s, are stepping up to support these critical workers, and there are many ways that others can help too.
If you know of an individual or business in Uptown that is working to support individual community members, essential workers or small businesses, please contact Brooke Duncan at bduncan@uptownconsortium.org.
We are closely monitoring the rapidly changing conditions during this time, and we are continuing to take direction and guidance from our local, state and federal agencies and professionals. Until we can return to in-person meetings and gatherings at our favorite establishments, please stay safe.
Sincerely,
Beth Robinson
President & CEO
Uptown Consortium, Inc.