COVID-19 Heroes

It's a wrap for season 1 of COVID-19 Heroes, but the pandemic is far from over. We can all continue to play our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

If the many Emergency Management guests on the show sparked your interest in our field, I hope you'll consider jumping in it yourself, and if you are a practitioner looking to strengthen and popularize our field, I invite you to check out the Emergency Management Growth Initiative at https://www.emginitiative.org and get involved. 

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What happens once someone passes away during the COVID-19 pandemic? To date, close to half a million people have died from the novel coronavirus. In the span of three months, New York City experienced over 35,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 and other unrelated causes, forcing the megacity to undertake the largest domestic fatality management operation in recent history. Director of Safety, Security and Emergency Management for the Virginia Department of Transportation, John Scrivani, shares his experience returning to his hometown to help coordinate the city's transfer and recovery of decedents. 

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For weeks, the entire world caught its breath and set its eyes on New York City, the new epicenter of COVID-19 after Wuhan, China and Lombardy, Italy. To date, the metropolis has experienced over 200K confirmed cases and 20,000 related deaths. A city with a long history of trauma and resilience following 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, we wonder: How has the pandemic redefined the notion of a catastrophic event? Kelly McKinney, a long-time Emergency Management leader and the current Senior Director of Emergency Management and Enterprise Resilience at NYU Langone Health, provides a detailed answer.

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"Black and Brown women are one of the most vulnerable populations during disaster and they're being disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus as a result of their race, class, and gender." PhD Student & Bill Anderson Fund Fellow, Felicia Henry, talks about the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, its link to other societal issues, including systems of stratification, and describes a path forward.

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-- This episode is sponsored by GoGyft - the gyft that keeps on giving. To create your GoGyft, visit https://www.gogyft.com/covid.

As first responders, firefighters have a long history of facing challenging situations and managing stress. Retired LA City Firefighter, Glenn Miyagishima, provides an overview of his research on stress in the Fire Service and shares tips on how employers and employees can cope with stress. Together, we discuss Fire Departments' evolving role in the pandemic and how they are adapting to the current events.

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-- This episode is sponsored by GoGyft - the gyft that keeps on giving. To create your GoGyft, visit https://www.gogyft.com/covid.

The world of sports has come to a complete standstill all over the world. 2016 Olympic champion, Madison Kocian, describes what it was like seeing the coronavirus pandemic prematurely end her gymnastics career. Together, we talk about the International Olympic Committee's decision to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the important role athletes play as role models.

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-- This episode is sponsored by GoGyft - the gyft that keeps on giving. To create your GoGyft, visit https://www.gogyft.com/covid.

How does COVID-19 affect the different generations and our bias toward age and disability? Fernando Torres-Gil, Director of the UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging, introduces us to the generational shifts brought on by the pandemic and how certain advocacy and legal groups are ensuring that our response to the outbreak remains equitable.

Guest Bio

Professor Torres-Gil is more than an academic.  He has an impressive portfolio of public service and national and international recognition as a leading spokesperson on demographics, aging, and public policy.  He earned his first presidential appointment in 1978 when President Jimmy Carter appointed him to the Federal Council on Aging.  He was selected as a White House Fellow and served under Joseph Califano, then Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), and continued as a Special Assistant to the subsequent Secretary of HEW, Patricia Harris.  He was appointed (with Senate Confirmation) by President Bill Clinton as the first-ever U.S. Assistant Secretary on Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). As the Clinton Administration’s chief advocate on aging, Torres-Gil played a key role in promoting the importance of the issues of aging, long-term care and disability, community services for the elderly, and baby boomer preparation for retirement.  He served under HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, managing the Administration on Aging and organizing the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, in addition to serving as a member of the President’s Welfare Reform Working Group.

In 2010 he received his third presidential appointment (with Senate Confirmation) when President Barack Obama appointed him as Vice Chair of the National Council on Disability, an independent federal agency that reports to the Congress and White House on federal matters related to disability policy.  During his public service in Washington, D.C., he also served as Staff Director of the U.S. House Select Committee on Aging under his mentor, Congressman Edward R. Roybal.

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-- This episode is sponsored by GoGyft - the gyft that keeps on giving. To create your GoGyft, visit https://www.gogyft.com/covid.

How are local communities in Haiti supporting each other during COVID? Jodi Spangler, Founder of Say:Do, a nonprofit that operates a Haitian led and run mobile clinic and provides training to healthcare workers, takes us to Cité Soleil right outside of Port-au-Prince and recounts how the healthcare infrastructure is faring amid the pandemic, 10 years after the last devastating disaster shook up the country.

Support & learn more about Say:Do at https://www.saydo.org.

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-- This episode is sponsored by GoGyft - the gyft that keeps on giving. To create your GoGyft, visit https://www.gogyft.com/covid.

Maggie Doyne believes that in the blink of an eye, we can all make a difference. The Co-Founder and CEO of the BlinkNow Foundation based in Surkhet, Nepal, Maggie draws a picture of how the coronavirus pandemic has turned life upside down for Nepali day laborers, migrant workers and children. Joining us from inside the Kopila Valley Children's Home, she shares intimate stories of how the resilient children and women are adjusting to the new pace of life set by the stay-at-home order.

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Learn more & support BlinkNow at: https://blinknow.org.

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-- This episode is sponsored by GoGyft - the gyft that keeps on giving. To create your GoGyft, visit https://www.gogyft.com/covid.