Autoethnographic Account
Start Date
21-6-2021 11:40 AM
End Date
21-6-2021 12:20 PM
Topic
Panel Discussion The Impact of COVID-19 Through the Eyes of SUNY Students
Session Chair
DeeDee Bennett Gayle
Abstract
This presentation will provide an autoethnographic account of an essential healthcare worker in New York City during the high peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-May 2020). The many hurdles (e.g., lack of personal protective equipment) created overwhelming demands, that included detrimental mental health issues and relational trauma. This was especially salient for healthcare workers that identified as a person of color. The data is clear that these obstacles disproportionately affected some communities of color, in particular Hispanic/Latino and Black/African-American people which had higher cases, hospitalizations, and deaths when compared to White and Asian/Pacific Islander people. One contributing factor to these higher rates is that people of color were working in frontline positions deemed essential workers by New York State thus people and communities of color had more exposure to COVID-19. The primary author will discuss her work in a public hospital as a health care professional in the field of Rehabilitation Medicine. She will highlight changes to processes and protocols that challenged health care workers. In particular, she will discuss how the lack of PPE and the deviation from prior protocols created significant mental, emotional, and physical challenges for herself and colleagues. She will discuss how healthcare workers put their lives at risk in order to care for those that were ill. The sad result is that many healthcare workers lost their lives while on the call of duty. The goal in highlighting these issues is to bring positive and impactful changes to policies that will include a well-organized emergency response plan for all communities and future sentinel events.
Author Bio
John J. Lawless, Ph.D., MPH is a Professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at SUNY Empire State College. Dr. Lawless’ career has spanned human services, psychology, human development, and public health. He has an A.S in Human Services from Mohawk Valley Community College, B.A. in Psychology from Binghamton University, M.S. in Counseling Psychology from University of Albany, Ph.D. in Child and Family Development from University of Georgia, and a M.P.H. from Drexel University. He is a licensed family therapist in New York State. His clinical, teaching, and research agenda has focused on mental health disparities while advocating for cultural competence, equity, and inclusion. He has presented and moderated at local, national, and international conferences on the intersection of diversity and clinical practice.
My name is Evelyn Wearing. I am a 46 year old Hispanic women that occupies several roles, such as a wife, mother of 4, daughter, sister and for the past 20+ years as an Occupational Therapy Aide in the field of Rehabilitation Medicine, for an inner city hospital located in Brooklyn, N.Y. I am a person that is very passionate about serving others and one that takes my responsibilities seriously, as I devote 110% in everything that I do. After all that I have experienced in my life, especially during the past year, it is easy to live my life depressed and walk around feeling sorry for myself. However, resilience, being one of my best qualities, continues to propel me forward and helps me to overcome obstacles that would’ve otherwise taken me out. The effects of working during the pandemic has been pretty intense, as it has negatively impacted my physical and mental health. However, I would not change a single thing, As it has also ignited a passion in me to pursue a career where I can advocate to implement positive changes within organizations and advocate for those that are overlooked and unable to speak for themselves. Working during the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated my commitment to my employer, colleagues and to patients. Unfortunately, it has also revealed the lack of care and compassion that many employers demonstrate to their employees. As well as confirm the importance of leadership having a disaster plan in place so they can better serve the organization and the population it serves. I am all about making the best out of every situation and look forward to using my experience to bring about some good.
Document Type
Extended Abstract
Autoethnographic Account
This presentation will provide an autoethnographic account of an essential healthcare worker in New York City during the high peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-May 2020). The many hurdles (e.g., lack of personal protective equipment) created overwhelming demands, that included detrimental mental health issues and relational trauma. This was especially salient for healthcare workers that identified as a person of color. The data is clear that these obstacles disproportionately affected some communities of color, in particular Hispanic/Latino and Black/African-American people which had higher cases, hospitalizations, and deaths when compared to White and Asian/Pacific Islander people. One contributing factor to these higher rates is that people of color were working in frontline positions deemed essential workers by New York State thus people and communities of color had more exposure to COVID-19. The primary author will discuss her work in a public hospital as a health care professional in the field of Rehabilitation Medicine. She will highlight changes to processes and protocols that challenged health care workers. In particular, she will discuss how the lack of PPE and the deviation from prior protocols created significant mental, emotional, and physical challenges for herself and colleagues. She will discuss how healthcare workers put their lives at risk in order to care for those that were ill. The sad result is that many healthcare workers lost their lives while on the call of duty. The goal in highlighting these issues is to bring positive and impactful changes to policies that will include a well-organized emergency response plan for all communities and future sentinel events.
Comments
The recording for this panel discussion ends at 3:34:35