christopher occhicone

Photojournalist and Documentary Photographer / Resident of Ukraine since 2014 / speaking Ukrainian and documenting the war in Ukraine for The Wall Street Journal

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COVID - NYC Nursing home

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Location: Kyiv, Ukraine

Nationality: American

Biography: Christopher Occhicone is a documentary photographer and photojournalist based in Kyiv, Ukraine for the last 14 plus years. He covers general and breaking news, as well as the war in Ukraine. For more than four years, he has been working on an... MORE

Jeanna Englemann, SLP feeds a p...dents early on in the pandemic.

Jeanna Englemann, SLP feeds a patient at Clove Lakes Nursing home and Rehabilitation Center in Staten Island, NY. Coronavirus spread rapidly through the long term residents early on in the pandemic.

Physical Therapist Lana Bass, a...ker, to COVID, 2 weeks earlier.

Physical Therapist Lana Bass, adjusts her face mask in the COVID unit at Clove Lakes Nursing Home and Rehab Center in Staten Island, NY. She lost her husband, also a medical worker, to COVID, 2 weeks earlier.

Photos on Jeanna's bull...life before the COVID pandemic.

Photos on Jeanna's bulletin board show life before the COVID pandemic.

Jeanna and Lana put on extra le...n order to protect their staff.

Jeanna and Lana put on extra level of PPE before entering a new patient's room for an evaluation session. The PPE protocol has been a work in progress as the facility has to improvise in order to protect their staff.

Mrs. P., a patient in the COVID...ay. She died later in the week.

Mrs. P., a patient in the COVID unit, sleeps in the hallway. She died later in the week.

Shawn McArthur, CNA changes Mrs... passed away later in the week.

Shawn McArthur, CNA changes Mrs. N., a patient in the COVID unit. Mrs. N. passed away later in the week.

Shawn catches his breathe in th... COVID unit after a long shift.

Shawn catches his breathe in the changing room in the COVID unit after a long shift.

Ryszard Zajewski, PT bring ball...bled patient in the COVID unit.

Ryszard Zajewski, PT bring balloons to a mentally disabled patient in the COVID unit.

Jeanna shakes out a garbage bag...laced in the dirty laundry bin.

Jeanna shakes out a garbage bag in the COVID unit. She is wearing a washable PPE over her disposable PPE. Each reusable PPE goes in a plastic bag before being placed in the dirty laundry bin.

Ryszard and Lana eat lunch in t...e for the remainder of the day.

Ryszard and Lana eat lunch in the break room in the COVID unit. The remove their PPEs and store them in plastic bags before entering the break room. Once staff enters the COVID unit they may not enter the other wards of the nursing home for the remainder of the day.

A nursing assistant takes a nap...VID unit during her lunch hour.

A nursing assistant takes a nap in the break room in the COVID unit during her lunch hour.

Lana and Ryszard do physical th...rs. Amarossa in the COVID unit.

Lana and Ryszard do physical therapy with Mrs. Amarossa in the COVID unit.

Mra. Varnis spent 2 months on a... struggles to stand on her own.

Mra. Varnis spent 2 months on a ventilator in a local hospital before spending several weeks in the nursing home's COVID unit. After finally testing negative she was moved to a regular ward to continue her PT. Before COVID she led an active life. After 3 months in medical facilities she struggles to stand on her own.

After leaving the COVID unit, S...COVID is complicated by his MS.

After leaving the COVID unit, Sal continues his PT. Sal runs a large electrical contracting company but his recovery from COVID is complicated by his MS.

Ryszard and Sally help Sal prac... the PT room in the COVID unit.

Ryszard and Sally help Sal practice standing in the PT room in the COVID unit.

Despite leaving the COVID unit,... lift to get in and out of bed.

Despite leaving the COVID unit, Sal still struggles to stand on his own. He requires a hoyer lift to get in and out of bed.

Lana wraps Mrs. Amarossa in a s...rapy session in the COVID unit.

Lana wraps Mrs. Amarossa in a sheet after her physical therapy session in the COVID unit.

Svetlana, who suffers from deme...long term resident in the home.

Svetlana, who suffers from dementia, contracted COVID while being a long term resident in the home.

Svetlana, who suffers from deme... shower by a nursing assistant.

Svetlana, who suffers from dementia and COVID, is given a shower by a nursing assistant.

Marsha spent 7 weeks on a venti...ds to her daughter in 2 months.

Marsha spent 7 weeks on a ventilator in a local hospital where she also underwent a tracheotomy. Jeanna, who is teaching her to speak with a device inserted into her tracheotomy, holds Marsha's phone while she says her first words to her daughter in 2 months.

Mrs. Varnis' husband Mi...en each other in over 3 months.

Mrs. Varnis' husband Mike arrives at Clove Lakes for training on how to care for his wife when she returns home the following week. This is the first time they have seen each other in over 3 months.

Jeanna checks Mrs. N.'s...39;s N. died later in the week.

Jeanna checks Mrs. N.'s swallowing in the COVID unit. Mr's N. died later in the week.

Elaine's husband Mike c...n each other for over 3 months.

Elaine's husband Mike convinced staff to let him sit with his wife after being trained on how to care for her when she returns home later in the week. They had not seen each other for over 3 months.

Svetlana has PT after leaving t... favorite doll to motivate her.

Svetlana has PT after leaving the COVID unit. Staff use her favorite doll to motivate her.

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Thumbnail of Jeanna Englemann, SLP feeds a pa_idents early on in the pandemic.

Thumbnail of Physical Therapist Lana Bass, ad_rker, to COVID, 2 weeks earlier.

Thumbnail of Photos on Jeanna's bulle_ life before the COVID pandemic.

Thumbnail of Jeanna and Lana put on extra lev_in order to protect their staff.

Thumbnail of Mrs. P., a patient in the COVID _way. She died later in the week.

Thumbnail of Shawn McArthur, CNA changes Mrs._. passed away later in the week.

Thumbnail of Shawn catches his breathe in the_e COVID unit after a long shift.

Thumbnail of Ryszard Zajewski, PT bring ballo_abled patient in the COVID unit.

Thumbnail of Jeanna shakes out a garbage bag _placed in the dirty laundry bin.

Thumbnail of Ryszard and Lana eat lunch in th_me for the remainder of the day.

Thumbnail of A nursing assistant takes a nap _OVID unit during her lunch hour.

Thumbnail of Lana and Ryszard do physical the_Mrs. Amarossa in the COVID unit.

Thumbnail of Mra. Varnis spent 2 months on a _e struggles to stand on her own.

Thumbnail of After leaving the COVID unit, Sa_ COVID is complicated by his MS.

Thumbnail of Ryszard and Sally help Sal pract_n the PT room in the COVID unit.

Thumbnail of Despite leaving the COVID unit, _r lift to get in and out of bed.

Thumbnail of Lana wraps Mrs. Amarossa in a sh_erapy session in the COVID unit.

Thumbnail of Svetlana, who suffers from demen_ long term resident in the home.

Thumbnail of Svetlana, who suffers from demen_a shower by a nursing assistant.

Thumbnail of Marsha spent 7 weeks on a ventil_rds to her daughter in 2 months.

Thumbnail of Mrs. Varnis' husband Mik_een each other in over 3 months.

Thumbnail of Jeanna checks Mrs. N.'s _#39;s N. died later in the week.

Thumbnail of Elaine's husband Mike co_en each other for over 3 months.

Thumbnail of Svetlana has PT after leaving th_r favorite doll to motivate her.

Editors Only Story

COVID - NYC Nursing home

Date of Work May 2020 - Ongoing

Updated Aug 2020

Location new york city

Topics Covid, Covid-19, Dying/Death, Elderly, Nursing home, Photography, Photojournalism

A version of this project appeared in the Sunday New York Times Sunday November 1, 2020

As the NYT reported on July 30th, 41 percent of US COVID deaths are linked to nursing homes.

Clove Lakes Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in New York is a very typical example of what happened in nursing homes across NYC and the US. The majority of workers contracted the virus early on and they lost dozens of patients.

Over the course of several months I photographed inside the COVID unit. I followed several patients and staff members from the COVID unit to rehab where their recovery was painfully slow.

The nursing home was the end of the line for patients who spent weeks intubated in local hospitals before being transferred to the nursing home, many still testing positive. The COVID patients were a mix of transferees from hospitals and those who contracted it while being patients in the home.