The count of U.S. healthcare workers who have died of COVID-19 keeps increasing without any sign of slowing. Documented healthcare worker deaths are likely a fraction of actual healthcare worker deats. Worldwide, 1 in 7 cases of COVID-19 is a healthcare worker.
We can do better. We must do better.
In Person Memorial
On October 11, 2020, we gathered a small group of healthcare workers and family in Tucson to livestream a memorial for the healthcare workers who had died of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of that date.
We collected as many names & photos as we could from the many different people who have been tracking the dead. The list is incomplete. It is be imperfect. We are imperfect. We likely mispronounced some of these names, and we beg your forgiveness.
We had 1141 names and 945 photos. More names than we could read in the hour.
The live program begins at about 10 minutes in.
Photos from the Memorial
Photography Donated by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Eva Peña, Social Worker
Eva lights candles at the beginning of the Memorial.
Melanie & Nick
Melanie Cooley, HCW HOSTED Advocacy Chair, and her husband, Nick Tomazic, RN, look over the livestream setup before the Memorial begins.
Heather Hardy
Heather Hardy plays violin in memory of the dead.
Jo Schneider
Jo Schneider, who owns La Cocina Restaurant and donated space for the Memorial talks about her brother, who died of COVID-19 and the healthcare workers who took care of him.
Shaq McCoy
Shaq McCoy, Air Force Medic, speaks about the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on healthcare workers of color.
Shaq McCoy, Air Force Medic
Shaq McCoy reads the names of the paramedics, firefighters, and EMS workers who have died of COVID-19.
Nick Tomazic, RN
Nick in a moment of reflection.
Nick Tomazic, RN
Nick Tomazic, RN, reads names of the dead in front of his Fallen Mask Project–images of masks he used for his work in the Emergency Department.
Terri Waldman
Terri Waldman, Director of Harmony House, an assisted living facility for seniors with COVID-19, speaks about the impact of the pandemic on nursing home staff and residents.
Behind the Scenes
Melanie running the livestream while Terri reads names.
Nada Alkhayat, Caregiver
Nada, a home health caregiver, reads names and honor the dead.
Jad & Names
Jad checking out the mask photos and the names on stage while his Mom reads names.
Nada & Jad
Nada reads names while her son, Jad, looks on.
Brad Dreifuss, MD
Brad, Emergency Physician & co-founder of HCW HOSTED, speaks about the need for greater support of the physical & mental health of healthcare workers.
Brad Dreifuss, MD
Brad reads names of the dead.
Eva Peña, Social Worker
Eva reads the names of social workers and other healthcare workers who have died of COVID-19.
Eva Peña
Jo & Kitty
Jo gets a bit of moral support from the resident fuzzball.
Shaq McCoy
Melanie Cooley, HCW HOSTED Advocacy Chair
“I organized this event because I don’t want to add my husband Nick’s name to this list.”
Jad & Melanie
Advocacy Chair, Melanie Cooley, talks to Jad, the 6 year old son of Nada, a home caregiver. Jad asked to read some names of healthcare workers who have died of COVID-19 at the end of the Memorial.
Jad Reading Names
Jad, 6, reads names of the dead. His mom is a home caregiver who survived a bout of COVID-19.
Jad
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