Advertise on podcast: Voices of COVID-19

2020 was poised to be a big year for Dessa, with a concert tour planned and the launch of her podcast, Deeply Human, on the horizon. COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd changed everything. Suddenly the multi-talented rapper, singer and writer was dealing with isolation from the pandemic and anxiety about the fear and unrest gripping her community. As she forged a new path, Dessa returned to the power of words and music. She launched her podcast, which examines human nature and why we think and behave the way we do. She also put music into the world with a project called Ides, releasing one song a month as an outlet for her creativity (and a lifeline for music lovers).   In this episode, Brian Lucas interviews Dessa about how she coped, adapted, and hopefully emerged even stronger through the challenges of a trying year.

For many people, music was a lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing escape while also helping us process our feelings and anxieties. In this episode, Brian Lucas interviews singer, songwriter Jeremy Messersmith, who released a series of deeply personal songs during the pandemic called Mixtape for the Milky Way. Jeremy reveals that even as he was putting this music into the world, he dealt with fear and isolation that made it difficult to even listen to music, much less write or perform, during the pandemic.

Nicole Lewis is a reporter for the Marshall Project. During the pandemic, Nicole documented the stories of four incarcerated individuals in an incredible piece: “How we survived COVID-19 in Prison.”  In part two of her interview, Nicole discusses conditions that contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in prisons, the challenges around vaccine hesitancy among both incarcerated people and prison staff, and the lessons we can hopefully learn about the interconnectedness of our society.

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, incarcerated people were among the hardest hit populations in the United States. Overcrowding, substandard facilities, underlying health conditions and misinformation about the virus created a volatile mix that led to huge numbers of infected individuals. Nicole Lewis is a reporter for the Marshall Project. During the pandemic, Nicole documented the stories of four incarcerated individuals in an incredible piece: “How we survived COVID-19 in Prison.”  In part one of a two-part interview, Nicole discusses the conditions that contributed to the high COVID numbers in prisons, and the unique challenges incarcerated people faced just to survive.

At the one year mark of the pandemic, there are signs of progress but we are far from out of the woods. For those on the front lines, the exhaustion and emotional toll of the last year are hard to quantify. Even as we see a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel, they must remain focused on each day, each patient, each family that is touched by this virus. In this episode, Brian Lucas interviews Dr. Thanh Neville, a physician and researcher at UCLA Health. Dr. Neville works in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. She is also the medical director of UCLA Health’s Three Wishes Program, which works to implement the final wishes for patients who are dying.

COVID-19 has put a spotlight on deep-seated issues of racism and inequity that exist in our health care system. The virus has disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities, causing more illness, more hospitalizations and more deaths. Now, as vaccines start to roll out, this inequity is again taking a toll. In many African American communities there is strong and justifiable distrust of health care and government programs, and vaccination rates are lagging far behind. In this episode, Brian Lucas interviews Adriene Thornton, an Infection Preventionist at Children’s Minnesota. Adriene is working to educate Black communities about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines, to hopefully get more people to participate.

Among the long list of heroes in this pandemic are travel nurses. These are nurses who sign up to get sent to locations where they are needed the most.  Right now, that means they are willingly traveling to COVID hot spots. When the pandemic started, Brooke Hanson was working as a nurse in Arizona. But as she watched the cases start to explode on the east coast, she decided she needed to help.  She signed up as a travel nurse and was sent to New Jersey to work in a COVID hospital.  Right now Brooke is working in Seattle, fighting COVID fatigue to continue helping patients even as the case numbers once again start to rise.

Ignoring or downplaying COVID comes from a place of privilege. Young, healthy people who have access to quality health care don't have to be as concerned. But there are many people who don’t have that luxury, including people who have health issues that make them particularly vulnerable. In this episode, Brian Lucas interviews Stephanie Zahrbock, a mother of two teenagers who, four years ago, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease related to Multiple Sclerosis. She’s been in a wheelchair ever since. Stephanie has been quarantined in her house for more than 6 months… trying to stay safe and protect herself from those who take their health and safety for granted.

For frontline health care workers, the coronavirus pandemic creates two separate worlds. There’s the world of work, trying to help people who are critically ill. Then there’s the world at home, dealing with the isolation and uncertainty the rest of us are struggling with each day. On top of all of this, there is an added fear: that these worlds will in some way intersect.  That an encounter with a COVID patient at work could bring the virus home to a spouse, a child, or a parent. In this episode, Brian Lucas interviews Elizabeth Blankenship, a Physician Assistant in Austin Texas.  Elizabeth has been existing in these dual worlds since the beginning of the pandemic. She says she has been able to find a sense of calm and balance through it all, and even a renewed sense of purpose.

Looking at the COVID numbers in Europe, Greece stands out as a success story so far.  At the time of this recording, Greece had reported fewer than 5,000 cases of COVID-19, resulting in 209 deaths. That’s a fraction what nearby countries have seen such as Italy (250,000 cases), Spain (300,000 cases) and Turkey (230,000 cases). Greece took a hard line out of necessity. The Greek health system doesn’t have the capacity to deal with a significant spike in cases. To their credit, the citizens got on board quickly in the name of protecting each other. In this episode, Brian Lucas interviews Antigoni Dionysiadou.  Antigoni lives in Athens, where she is studying psychology at the University. Before the pandemic took its toll on tourism in Athens, Antigoni was also working as a tour guide, giving walking tours of the various neighborhoods in the city.

From the beginning of this pandemic we heard reports about COVID-19 being particularly dangerous to people with pre-existing health conditions. So what do you do if you live in a community where that puts a large percentage of the population is at risk?   That’s the case on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and for the more than 19 thousand members of the Oglala Lakota Tribe who live there.   The Pine Ridge Reservation has the lowest life expectancy in the country.  That’s the case pre-COVID, and it illustrates why keeping the virus out of their community, and helping those who are most vulnerable, is a top priority.   In this episode, Brian Lucas continues his conversation with Helene Gaddie, a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation and a resident of Pine Ridge.     Since the outbreak, Helene has been part of an Indigenous Response effort, reaching out to people across the reservation to offer education and support.

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota is home to more than 19,000 members of the Oglala Lakota Nation. It is one of the poorest communities in the United States and has the lowest life expectancy in the country.  The Tribe prides itself on its resilience. For generations, the members have fought through poverty, oppression, discrimination and a long history of broken treaties and aggression from the United States government. Now they are being faced with another potentially devastating invader: COVID-19.  Thanks to quick action by tribal leadership, the Reservation went on lockdown early.  At the time of this recording the Reservation had seen around 100 cases of the virus.  Still, the residents know that even a small outbreak in their community could have grave consequences. In this episode, Brian Lucas interviews Helene Gaddie, a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation and a resident of Pine Ridge. Helene and her husband run a non-profit called, Generation Indigenous Ways, which runs camps for American Indian Youth focusing on integrating science curriculum with traditional Native values and practices. Since the outbreak, Helene has been part of an Indigenous Response effort, reaching out to people across the reservation to offer education and support. Because of the many issues related to the pandemic and life on the Pine Ridge Reservation, we are breaking this interview into two episodes.  In this episode, Helen talks about the lockdown of the reservation and how the pandemic may be an opportunity for the Lakota Nation to reconnect with its roots.