A comics journalism story on COVID-19
written by Kate Blaker with illustrations by Stacy Innerst

About the project:

“I have had a career of being a strong advocate for other persons with disabilities, and I tell people that I will die in the streets protesting. (Sorely, I miss doing this for the present.) It was empowering to work on this issue of the nursing facility’s treatment of people who require that care — whether it be a short-term stay or a more involved term — where many people become not a person, but someone that the facility staff tends to recognize as no longer a contributor. It was easy for them (NFs) to hide what was going on for the last two months. The cost of living in the community is a third of a nursing facility cost; 70% of Pennsylvania’s population that passed away from the virus were in nursing facilities. Shame on the Governor and the Secretary of Health for not doing more to protect them.”
— Kate Blaker

“I was honored to be asked to illustrate Kate Blaker’s story about her experiences in a nursing facility during the Coronavirus pandemic. Hers is one of the many voices that should be heard as society comes to terms with how we treat our most vulnerable members, especially in times of crisis.”
— Stacy Innerst

This project has been funded by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project in collaboration with Unabridged Press’ All Abilities Media project and the Point Park University Center for Media Innovation.

Stacy Innerst is an award-winning children’s book artist, painter, and educator.

Co-published with Pittsburgh City Paper.