#seeourfrontliners

So thankful to Mark Patinkin for writing about my project #SeeOurFrontliners and Virginia Carrasco, a 71 year old housekeeper at a nursing home in today's Providence Journal (front page!). When I started #SeeOurFrontliners portrait project, I wanted to make sure folks who are often overlooked were represented. Virginia's story deserves to be told. Thank you also to Kelli Price who not only was the very first person I photographed for the project, but she was the one who introduced me to Virginia, her mother-in-law. Another amazing soul. Feel free to share this post. If you're enjoying seeing these stories, and would like to help fund the project, you can make a tax deductible donation through AS220 and under Global Fellows in here: https://act.myngp.com/Forms/-8406931172607652352⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ If you are a frontline or essential worker, or know anyone who is and you think they should have their story highlighted, please visit the link in my bio. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ You can also find information there on how to start your own #SeeOurFrontliners project in your own community. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCi1VCInXJY/?igshid=8mqixha3kq40

Please meet Sarah and Jeff Gaines, both @brown_emergency medicine providers. ⁣ ⁣ "We are married emergency physicians, well into the practice of medicine. Yet everything feels like new right as we adjust to the world we now live in." ⁣ ⁣ Sarah: "I am an emergency medicine attending physician. For over twenty-five years, from my days as an EMT on an ambulance in NJ and NY, to practicing as a physician at numerous trauma centers, I have taken care of patients in emergent situations for greater than half my life. Now, I take care of people during COVID- truly it is something I could never have imagined. It's easier these days, over two months in. Fear still exists but it is managed. The people I work with are truly incredible and their dedication is inspiring. My friends have been my rock -their support means the world to me. And my daughters, they are the reason I do any of this."⁣ ⁣ Jeff: "I am the Chief Medical Officer at a Rhode Island hospital, a role I have been in for about a year, after practicing emergency medicine for two decades. Running a community hospital with the rest of the leadership team is an incredible opportunity that I value greatly- learning how to do it during a pandemic is a whole new ball game. We have incredible support from our community and I am thankful everyday for the generosity and kindness shown towards our hospital and staff."⁣ ⁣ Thank you Sarah and a Jeff for being a part of #SeeOurFrontliners portrait project. ⁣ https://www.instagram.com/p/CCMJZq3nS_W/?igshid=ngtvd73bjqm8

Meet Allison Hayward, MD, our next @brown_emergency provider being highlighted as part of #SeeOurFrontliners portrait project. She shares her experience of the pandemic below. ⁣ ⁣ "I work nights in the emergency department, and that means my subspecialty is psychiatric crisis. I face the fears that stave off sleep, or that prompt waking in the dark, beaded with sweat and heart pounding. The fact that I have very little natural tendency towards anxiety has always been an asset to me, gaining even more value as I've navigated into a career consisting of long and busy nights in the emergency department. ⁣ ⁣ Spending nights being buffeted by waves of anxiety and sadness from my patients has always left me emotionally tired, but I have usually been able to let them wash over me and walk away, letting calm, happiness, and stillness return to my mind as I gain distance from the hospital. In 2020, I find traces of the fear and sadness I experience with my patients are following me home. Instead of the usual dreams I've had since childhood, closing my eyes takes me back to the COVID ward, back behind my layers of masks and I wake feeling as if I've worked instead of slept. I am thankful for my supportive family and friends who keep me feeling loved and grounded, whether we are near or far. They help give me the energy to keep putting on my mask night after night, trying to soothe the anxieties and terrors of a pandemic."⁣ ⁣ Thank you Allison for participating in the project. ⁣ ⁣ For anyone interested in being photographed and part of the project, please follow the link in my bio. ⁣ ⁣ #brown_emergency @brown_emergency⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ #thankyouessentialworkers #thankyoufrontliners #supportfrontlineworkers #supportessentialworkers #thankyouessentialworkers #visualstorytelling #portraitsinspire #portraitmasters #coviddays #riarts #401love #visitrhodeisland #essentailworkersri #portraitsoffrontliners #stephanieewensphotography #portraitphotographer #doucumentaryportraitproject #seeourfrontliners #seeourfrontlinersri ⁣⁣ https://www.instagram.com/p/CCEjrUtnhul/?igshid=13fi96ump8d4e

"I’ve been an RN for over 11 years now, always working as a labor & delivery nurse. Helping women through this crazy, amazing, and challenging time has always been what I wanted to do, ever since I was 9 years old and was able to be in the delivery room when my little sister was born. It’s an honor and a privilege to be with families when the newest member is brought into this world. This world that is so unsure and frightening right now.⁣ ⁣ The first night driving into work when the new restrictions and mandatory face masks were put in place I cried a little; all the uncertainty, new procedures, am I putting myself at risk, my family, my patients? How was my patient supposed to see my face as I comforted her through her epidural or as I encouraged her to push? But then the baby was born, took a big cry, was healthy and beautiful and I remembered, ‘This is what I do, this is what I’m meant to do. I help women bring their babies into the world. With that simple realization, I took a breath, felt instantly calmer and continued with my job. Because no matter what is happening in this crazy, scary world, babies still need to be born and mothers still need help to birth their babies.⁣ ⁣ The weeks have passed and we’ve settled into a new normal. I don't cry on my way into work anymore. I just try to keep breathing, deal with what comes along and if I’m lucky, a Foo Fighters song will be playing on the radio on the way home. ⁣ ⁣ “It’s times like these we learn to love again.⁣ It’s times like these we give and give again.”⁣ Times like These by Foo Fighters⁣ -Felicia Vinci, RN⁣ ⁣ Thank you Felicia for your story and for being a part of the #SeeOurFrontliners portrait project. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ If you are a frontline or essential worker, or know anyone that is and you think should be highlighted in the project, please visit the link in my bio or go directly to my site https://www.stephanieewens.com/frontliners⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlN6xnn0vB/?igshid=c2ji8j02wp2k

Meet Cailyne Ghazarian, PA-C, our next @brown_emergency provider being highlighted as part of #SeeOurFrontliners⁣ portrait project. ⁣ "I’ve worked in emergency medicine as a physician assistant for 8 years. I have learned so much during my years of practice, but nothing could have prepared me for what we are currently facing. One of the things I enjoy the most about my job is being able to bond with my patients and provide them some reassurance while they are with me in the emergency department. ⁣ ⁣ Now that we are amidst a pandemic, things have changed. I enter patient rooms donned in layers of personal protective equipment (PPE) and can feel the physical and emotional separation between us- they can no longer see my face… or my smile. It made me sad that these patients couldn’t see who was taking care of them. It must have felt like they were surrounded by a sea of PPE-clad strangers, unable to discern one provider from the next. ⁣ ⁣ I now wear a printed photo of myself on my lapel, so that patients can see me- really see me. I want them to know that as we face an uncertain road ahead, we are all in this together. Keep smiling."⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Cailyne A. Ghazarian, PA-C, MPAS⁣ Brown Emergency Medicine⁣ Assistant Coordinator, PA/NP Post-Graduate Residency in Emergency Medicine⁣ ⁣ Thank you Cailyne for being a part of the project and for finding ways to make your patients feel more comfortable. ⁣ ⁣ If you are a frontline or essential worker, or know anyone that is and you think should have their story highlighted, please visit the link in my bio or go directly to my site https://www.stephanieewens.com/frontliners⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ You can also find information there on how to start your own #SeeOurFrontliners project in your own community. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ If you're enjoying seeing these stories, and would like to help fund the project, you can make a tax deductible donation through the link in my bio through AS220 and under Global Fellows in Courage.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ #brown_emergency @brown_emergency⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ #thankyouessentialworkers #supportfrontlineworkers (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBfzjaUnBnJ/?igshid=mr55d6nvtlxj

Meet Jackie Mancini, LMHC, Clinical Manager of Emergency Services at The Providence Center⁣ ⁣ "When the pandemic first began it was scary. It was scary for us as healthcare workers, scary for our consumers, and scary for our families. However, despite the chaos and uncertainty there was camaraderie, a sense of unified purpose and the hope that this shared trauma might unite people in a way we haven’t seen before. That hope has become harder and harder to hold on to as this has unfolded. ⁣ ⁣ Those of us working in behavioral healthcare have watched people become more isolated, more anxious and more disconnected from treatment. People with preexisting mental health, substance abuse issues, or propensities toward domestic violence have become the secondary crisis. ⁣ ⁣ As the financial stability and overall health of our community continues to decline we brace for more desperation, higher suicide rates; ultimately more loss.⁣ ⁣ We are still here, still committed to navigating the best path to health, still trying to hold on to hope."⁣ ⁣ Thank you Jackie for commitment to helping others, and for being a part of the #SeeOurFrontliners portrait project. ⁣ ⁣ If you are a frontline or essential worker, or know anyone that is and would like participate in the project, please visit the link in my bio or go directly to my site https://www.stephanieewens.com/frontliners⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ #thankyouessentialworkers #thankyoufrontliners #unsungheroes #supportfrontlineworkers #supportessentialworkers #thankyouessentialworkers #visualstorytelling #portraitsinspire #portraitmasters #coviddays #riarts #401love #visitrhodeisland #essentailworkersri #portraitsoffrontliners #stephanieewensphotography #portraitphotographer #doucumentaryportraitproject #seeourfrontliners #seeourfrontlinersri ⁣ ⁣ (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBdfijKHepT/?igshid=1g8u6v1ecfjr6

Meet Dr. Alexis Lawrence, our next @brown_emergency provider being highlighted and part of the #SeeOurFrontliners portrait project ⁣ "I spend a lot more time on the phone now, updating anxious families who aren’t able to visit. Over and over they ask “Is he OK? Will she be OK?” I want to⁣ give them good news, so I can hear them exhale on the other end of the line. ⁣ ⁣ Walking into a patient room I am ensconced in scrubs, goggles, gloves, surgical cap, yellow gown, N95, face⁣ shield. You can’t really see me, so I wear a photo with a permanent smile, hoping this puts you⁣ more at ease. ⁣ ⁣ There was a collective furor in the beginning, scrambling to get frontline⁣ providers appropriate PPE. Each time I suit up, it becomes clearer how protected I already was⁣ by my white skin, before I put anything else on. ⁣ ⁣ There are layers and layers of public health emergencies at my front door. ⁣ ⁣ COVID, the opioid epidemic, racism. ⁣ ⁣ I am in the hospital, ready to do better, ready to take care of you, ready to call your family, ready to hear them exhale."⁣ ⁣ Thank you Alexis. ⁣ If you are a frontline or essential worker, or know anyone that is and would like participate in the project, please visit the link in my bio or go directly to my site https://www.stephanieewens.com/frontliners⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ You can also find information there on how to start your own #SeeOurFrontliners project in your own community. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ If you'd like to help fund the project, you can make a tax deductible donation through the link in my bio.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ #brown_emergency @brown_emergency⁣⁣⁣⁣ #thankyouessentialworkers #thankyoufrontliners #unsungheroes #supportfrontlineworkers #supportessentialworkers #thankyouessentialworkers #visualstorytelling #portraitsinspire #portraitmasters #coviddays #riarts #401love #visitrhodeisland #essentailworkersri #portraitsoffrontliners #stephanieewensphotography #portraitphotographer #doucumentaryportraitproject #seeourfrontliners #seeourfrontlinersri ⁣#keeptheconversationonracismgoing (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBSutguHkwF/?igshid=dffpqyva0qm

Meet Dr. Stephanie Chow Garbern. ⁣ "As an emergency room doctor who works in many developing countries as well as here in Rhode Island, I have found that some of the world’s largest health disparities are right here in our own backyard. On a recent day in the COVID-19 “pod” of the ER, a colleague commented that only one of the ten patients there spoke English as a primary language; this virus has served to highlight some of the many persistent inequalities in our healthcare system and country.⁣ ⁣ While frustrating and terrifying, it has been humbling and a privilege to be a frontline healthcare worker at this time. As ER doctors, we will always care for you, no matter who you are, what you look like, or what you believe.⁣ ⁣ As one patient recently said to me, “I know this is not just a job for you, but a calling, and you chose to be here.” At my low points, which are not uncommon these days, I try to remind myself that in many ways this pandemic has brought out the best in humanity – friends, family, neighbors, and local businesses have donated homemade masks, scrub caps, respirators, food, and even offered their homes for me to stay after shifts. The community here in Rhode Island has really come together to protect and support each other, especially healthcare and other essential workers. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” ⁣ ⁣ -Stephanie Chow Garbern, MD, MPH, DTM&H⁣ Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine⁣ Research Coordinator, Division of Global Emergency Medicine⁣ Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University⁣ ⁣ Thank you Stephanie for all you are doing right now, and to all frontline and essential workers out there. ⁣ ⁣ If you are a frontline or essential worker, or know anyone that is and would like participate in the project, please visit the link in my bio or go directly to my site https://www.stephanieewens.com/frontliners⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ You can also find information there on how to start your own #SeeOurFrontliners project in your own community. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ If you'd like to fund the project, you can make a tax deductible donation (link in bio). ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ #brown_emergency @brown_emergency (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5X41znWM0/?igshid=15bnt8d048pbx