Building Branches E1: Community and Care in COVID-19

Since early March, the number of coronavirus cases in New Haven has spiralled from a handful to over 15,000. It takes remarkable collaboration to meet the health demands of this crisis and hold together communities now under increasing pressure. Dr. Dalal takes us inside the Community Services Administration of New Haven, while Barbara Pearce describes big changes at Connecticut Hospice to protect some of the city’s most vulnerable. At Yale, Jennifer Currier and Frank Simiola propose new ways to build community in one of Yale’s most important spaces, the dining hall, and Ellie Latham explains how the sudden change from student to babysitter has been both a blessing and a surprise. What does community look like now, and how can we both support and feel supported when COVID-19 has radically altered our traditional bubbles? This episode was produced by Alexa Stanger, Andrea Lee, Kunsang Dorjee, Matthew Fan, and Allison Park. Special thanks to our guests Dr. Mehul Dalal, Barbara Pearce, Jennifer Currier, Frank Simiola, and Ellie Latham. Graphic design by Ivory Fu and Dora Guo. Music for this series is from Blue Dot Sessions.