COVID-19 in Springfield-Greene County
Community leaders reflect on two years of the COVID-19 pandemic
There is much about the COVID-19 pandemic that everyone, everywhere — the Ozarks, Missouri, the United States, the world — would just as soon forget. As with all parts of life, however, 2020 to 2022 offers a unique opportunity to learn.
That is why this publication exists: To not only remind others of what took place, but also to inform new generations about one community’s response to the pandemic.
In August 2020, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks published “First Response: Springfield-Greene County Confronts COVID-19, March–July 2020,” to chronicle the initial responses and decisions made by local leaders. This update serves as a look back across the past two years while reconnecting with several of the leaders featured in the first report — and meeting some new faces who stepped up to lead along the way — as we look ahead as a community to what may come.
As we learned time and again over the last two years, Springfield-Greene County is not an island. Decisions made here may have an immediate impact within the city limits, but they cascade far beyond the county line — and beyond the pandemic, given that some silver-lining discoveries made along the way seem here to stay.
Reflections on Leadership
Lessons for future Springfield-Greene County leaders after two years of COVID-19
What We Learned
In their own words, Springfield-Greene County leaders reflect on the last two years — and look ahead to the future
Community Timeline
COVID-19 response in Springfield-Greene County, August 2020–March 2022
First Response: Two Years Later — Published March 2022 by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. Principal research and writing by Kaitlyn McConnell, CFO writer in residence, with support from Louise Knauer; design, production and editing by Aaron Scott and Louise Knauer.
