COVID-19 Diaries: Alameda County ER Nurse Waits for ‘Tidal Wave’
Over the last month, Douglas Frey has been chronicling his experiences as an ER nurse in Alameda County. He says the emergency room has been quiet, though it’s picked up a bit more in the past few days. KQED’s Lesley McClurg brings us his audio diary.
‘Haven’t Hugged My Mom in a Month;’ Kids of Health Care Workers Feel the Strain
Teen siblings Marina and Marshall Rocha live in Clovis, near Fresno. Their mom, Tamu Bustos, works as an ER nurse at Highland Hospital in Oakland. She sleeps in a trailer in the Bay Area, but when she gets a day off, she makes the three-hour drive home to see her kids. As Sasha Khokha tells us, with coronavirus, those visits have gotten tougher.
Comforting the Dying from Afar: Palliative Care in a Pandemic
As the death toll from COVID-19 climbs, a lot of practices doctors usually rely on to ease the dying process are impossible right now. KQED’s health correspondent April Dembosky profiles a doctor who’s trying to come up with new protocols. Steve Pantilat is the founder and director of UCSF’s palliative care program.
COVID-19 Diaries: Marin County’s Top Doctor Under Isolation
Dr. Matt Willis is the Public Health Officer for Marin County. After testing positive for COVID-19, he stayed at home, isolated from his wife and three children. KQED’s Laura Klivans brings us the audio diary he’s been keeping for the last several weeks.
Most In-Home Caregivers Receive Low Pay and No Protective Gear
Carnella Marks is an in-home support service (IHSS) worker in Butte County. Like many of the state’s half-million IHSS workers, she takes care of a family member. Carnella says the coronavirus outbreak has made her job much harder. As KQED’s Sam Harnett tells us, she and other IHSS workers are now asking for help, specifically, for masks and hazard pay.