“C.N.A.s are literally inches from the residents,” said Angela Dobra, a nurse at the facility. “You can’t make someone emotionally comfortable without exposure.”
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She said colleagues often ask why she chose to work in long-term care rather than in the hospital setting. “Nursing homes are continually overlooked.”
Direct care positions, like certified nursing assistants, are predominantly filled by women of color and immigrants.
Rogelio Ramirez volunteered to transfer from the Albuquerque Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center to Canyon out of a sense of helplessness and grief after his aunt and uncle both died from Covid-19 in Mexico, where he is originally from.
“I felt like I needed to do it,” said Mr. Ramirez of his choice to work as a certified nursing assistant at the facility.
“If I’m not there, who is going to be there?” he asked.
His wife, Jeri Ramirez, also works in long-term care. She lost her grandfather to Covid-19 at another facility in the Albuquerque area.
Mr. Ramirez lived in his garage for two months to quarantine from his family, but his 2-year-old daughter, Chloe, struggled to sleep without him in the house.