Dear Colleagues,

Last month we completed a voting poll of our membership. We asked you to share your preference of continuing to hold SMSHP meetings virtually, or convert back to in-person meetings as we have done in the past. We would like to provide a summary of your responses and our next steps.

• 61% preferred continuing in a virtual format
• 38% preferred returning to in-person

In addition, we offered the opportunity for you to provide additional thoughts. Some themes that we observed in your comments:

• You miss seeing everyone and the opportunity to network, chat, eat, etc
• Some desire to wait until children are able to be vaccinated
• A hesitancy and recommend waiting until after the holiday season, to help gauge COVID trends
• Would like a future option for both virtual & in-person ("hybrid") sessions going forward

Accordingly, we will be holding meetings in a virtual format. As returning to in-person requires some lead time to arrange the venue, we will reconsider this decision in December. Also, we are exploring options for the equipment needed to support a hybrid format, so that we can meet everyone's preferences in the future.

In the meantime, if you haven't yet done so, please use your GrubHub gift card! These are a nice way to enjoy a meal "on us" while you enjoy the meeting from the comfort of your own home.

Thank you for continuing to be a member of SMSHP.