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.

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. 

Guest Bio
John Scrivani has been working in the Emergency Response / Management community for over 27 years. John has served as the Deputy State Coordinator for Disaster Services at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, as the Incident Commander of the New York City Hurricane Sandy Debris Task Force where he was charged with overseeing the removal of all storm related debris in New York City and as New York City Office of Emergency Management Deputy Commissioner of Operations. Scrivani also serves Deputy Director of the Special Operations Division at the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), where he also oversaw operations and safety for the World Trade Center Potential Human Remains Recovery Project and managed the ME Special Operations Response Team.  For 14 years, John worked as a member of the NYPD, where he retired as Commanding Officer of the Emergency Services Unit Hazardous Materials-Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team and Training School. He was also a member of the NYPD elite Emergency Service Unit. John currently serves as the Director of Safety, Security and Emergency Management for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

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.

"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.

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.

Guest Bio
Glenn Miyagishima is a retired Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief who served the City of Los Angeles for over 33 years. During his professional career as a firefighter he held the rank of Apparatus Operator for nearly 10 years, until he promoted to Fire Captain I and II.  As an officer for 18 years he spent his last 9 years as a Battalion Chief assigned to: West Los Angeles, Homeland Security Counter-Intelligence, Community Liaison Officer, Metro Fire Dispatch Center, the West San Fernando Valley and retired from Battalion 5 in Hollywood in 2018. Glenn received his Doctor of Education Ed.D., from the University of Southern California (USC) at the Rossier School of Education, and a M.A. from Woodbury University. Glenn continues his lifelong passion to teach and advocate the principles of leadership, learning and performance.

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.

Guest Bio
Madison Kocian is an American gymnast who is an Olympic, World, and NCAA champion. On the uneven bars, she is a 2015 World Champion and the 2016 Olympic silver medalist. After winning Olympic gold as part of the "Final Five" at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, she enrolled at UCLA and was member of the NCAA women's gymnastics team that took home the National Championship in 2018. In 2020, she was named the Pac-12 Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

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.

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.

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.

What does a global humanitarian response to COVID-19 look like? Dr. Solomon Kuah and Trevor Rhodes from the International Medical Corps shed light on the agency's response to the novel coronavirus both domestically and abroad. From preparedness to response and recovery, they disclose what it takes to lead an effective response leveraging local healthcare capabilities, training, and a humanitarian spirit.

COVID-19 is testing all of our limits as we encounter loss, economic instability, and an uncertain future. Brian Stefan, a social worker and suicide prevention counselor, describes what it's been like working on the front lines of the mental health response to COVID and shares practical tips on what to say when somebody confides in us.

Hospitals across the U.S. continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 response. In the face of challenging times, Monique Hernandez, a charge nurse from Riverside, CA, has found the power within her voice to speak up and advocate for better working conditions and better healthcare - at present and in the future.

What does the state and county-level response to COVID-19 look like? California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Emergency Services Coordinator, Jenny Novak, takes us behind the scenes of coordinating statewide resources and information during the pandemic. A cancer survivor, she also shares how the resilience she's built from years of battling an illness is now helping her emotionally weather this storm.

Small business owners are currently experiencing the biggest battle of their life: keeping their business afloat. Jay Chris Moore and Sarah Ro, co-founders of MOB HQ Dance Studio, explain what it's like navigating the economic impact and uncertain future of being shut down, and share how they still strive to make a difference in dancers' lives all over the world.

In times of physical distancing, The Bay Church, is finding a multitude of ways to socially engage with its members and the community. Carey Gregg, Director of Compassion Outreach, shares with us how volunteers are banding together to provide life-saving services to students, first responders, and the homeless.

Getting people home is no easy task during a global pandemic. So far, Lufthansa Group airlines have repatriated around 90,000 travelers with over 430 special flights which departed from 106 airports worldwide, from New Zealand all the way to Chile, to return citizens and residents back to Europe. German Lufthansa flight attendant, Jassin Kraft, describes a repatriation flight he led and what the journey throughout the pandemic has been like for him and his peers in the hard-hit aviation industry. This episode was recorded on April 15, 2020.

The Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland, CA in March after some passengers on board tested positive for COVID-19. San Diego-based EMT, Samantha Saunders, deployed to the port to help transport passengers from the ship to hospitals and sites across the region. A unique work experience, she shares what being an EMT during this pandemic is like.

Hundreds of thousands of children and teenagers live in foster care in the U.S. Now, many of them are suffering from the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic in their own ways. Danny Mendoza, founder of Together We Rise, describes what challenges the pandemic is bringing to an already vulnerable system and shares how we can all help to support foster youth.

COVID-19 has pushed the realm of possibilities beyond our imagination. Desi Matel-Anderson, Chief Wrangler of the Field Innovation Team (FIT), shares how her team of technologists, emergency managers, artists & historians supports communities internationally by creating cutting-edge disaster solutions in real time. 

Hidden behind the scenes of every disaster response lies an Emergency Operations Center. For COVID, thousands are activated across the country. Ed Colson, an Emergency Manager for Tillamook County, Oregon, lifts the curtain unveiling what emergency management is and explaining the unique effects a pandemic has on rural communities like his.

Seattle was the first epicenter of COVID-19 in the U.S. Emergency room nurse, Rachel Izzo, describes how the region is currently affected by the virus and what makes it so particularly challenging to deal with. She also lets us in on how mindfulness and meditation is helping her get through this stressful time. This episode was recorded on April 2, 2020.

Retail stores across the country have witnessed a surge in demand. Some essential items continue to sell out within minutes of being restocked and people continue to line up outside, sometimes for hours, just to get inside. What's it like behind the scenes? Find out from Iain Martin, a Costco employee based in the Chicago area.

Amidst the world shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), LA-based comedian and performance artist, Kristina Wong, decided to roll up her sleeves and launch the Auntie Sewing Squad. She describes how one Hello Kitty sewing machine served as the impetus for a coronavirus mask-making brigade and reflects on the shift of her life as an artist. This episode was recorded on March 29th, 2020. 

Most of the world is facing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers during this pandemic. UCLA Health nurse, Michelle Santizo, describes what the working conditions without proper PPE are currently like and what it means for the life of her patients and her family.

COVID-19 is unpredictable in choosing its targets and the level of harm it will cause. 29-year-old, Seattle-based high school teacher Ben describes what it was like being sick with the novel coronavirus, why he decided to share his story with his network, and how the pandemic is forcing teachers to lean into their creativity and rethink our approach to education.