JONATHAN WONG – Multimedia Reporting Spring 2021

HOST INTRO (Recorded): As New York City public high schools plan to reopen on March 22nd, school medical administrators face hurdles as they attempt to safely restart. Jonathan Wong spoke with a Health Service Administrator of Long Island City High School of Queens as they prepare to roll out procedures from the pandemic restrictions.

AMBI: People standing outside of Long Island City High entrance building talking the entrance of the building

TRACK: I have got a hold of Connie Dominguez over the phone, just after dinner one evening, to discuss her experiences during this reopening phase.

ACT: CONNIE: When we go back to school on Tuesday, this Tuesday coming, we have health and hospital, which is part of the CDC, they are sending a team of lab technicians to our school and we will be covid testing those three days.

TRACK: She mentioned the overall schedule breakdown of the week.

ACT: CONNIE: “There’s twenty-two hundred students in our building, in our school, educating five days a week. Out of those students, thirteen hundred finalized their position as remote. So, we have about close to 800 students coming into the building as a blended student. And when they say blended, meaning, they only come in once a week, so for example, if their schedule, if their last names ending with a A through G they will be coming in, Tuesday, and then the letter between H and so forth through Wednesday then Thursdays. So technically they will be coming into the building three times a week. Monday would be remote days for all, and Fridays we call it “Bulldog” Friday and that day will be remote as well, so any students that do come into the building will be coming in three days a week and that’s one time a week.

TRACK: She says that vaccines are required to gain access into the buildings.

ACT: CONNIE: If they need to get vaccines, they have the option of using the school clinic or they have the option of using their primary care physicians.

TRACK: Like some other high schools, this clinic would step in to offer a way to make an appointment for a vaccination. For some who struggle getting one due to the sheer volume of people seeking vaccines in other facilities, this is a way in getting one.

ACT: CONNIE: Students who have neglected to go and get their vaccines throughout the pandemic, because they feel whether the doctor did not have time or they just they have so many cases and patients and trying not to put too many people in one visit in the facility. So, they space out their appointments and so it is hard for a lot of students who need vaccines to get appointments with their doctors. So, this is where we come in, and we tell them, you can do it with the school clinic, they would have to fill out an application and technically once they fill and out and get approval from the parent, they can come into the school and get their vaccine, the required vaccines.

TRACK: Since the school system is state-funded, she mentions that these services are offered to anyone including families in financial hardship.

ACT: CONNIE: It is offered by the state for free. There’s no charge for any student in our school, as long as their attending our school, all their physicals, vaccines, and other services are free.

TRACK: Class structures are laid out in order to conduct learning in a safe way but can easily feel overwhelming.

ACT: CONNIE: It’s not just let, ok everybody come back on Tuesday I mean there’s just so much and I’m just talking about the teachers. Where are they teaching at? What classes are going to be zoom classes, what classes are gonna be blended. Are ya gonna put the remote and the blended in one class? Will you have a live class streaming at the same time as a blended class. There’s a lot going on.

TRACK: With virtual learning, students in certain classes run into the lack of paying attention, and it’s required to be supervised by District Superintendents. They are responsible overall management of the schools and enforcing policies including evaluating principals.

ACT: CONNIE: Certain classes must be supervised by a superintendent of the district to make sure it’s going, usually, a class is about 40 minutes and out of those 40 minutes, 20 minutes has to be continuous learning. Ya know just, the teacher had to have control of the class. And this is high school, you understand high school, it’s a little tricky, it’s not like junior high or elementary school where you have the upper hand. High school it’s a little bit different, you get the challenge with the student, they tend to challenge you a lot of these students are angry or upset. There’s a lot going on in the background behind closed doors that we don’t know of.

TRACK: Many staff members tolerate rebelling students who are believed to be going through problems that are not obvious. Long Island City High School is one 488 planning for re-opening phases next week. This is Jonathan Wong for Baruch.

It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed a Netlfix motion picture. Extremis debuted when the attention in health care wasn’t as prominent as it is today. The storytelling was easy to follow and it resinated.

I had to go through this same experience when I needed to say goodbye to my first best friend, my father.

The intensive care unit is self-explanatory. People that need immediate and extensive medical attention would receive the care necessary, or you’re meant to believe so. If you recall, no one could visit loved ones at hospitals during the pandemic nor living in nursing homes.

He was admitted into the ICU as he experienced severe symt0ms closely related to information on the coronavirus at the time. The worst part was that it was his birthday as New York City’s Empire state building was vibrantly pulsating red, representing those fighting the effects of the virus.

Visitors couldn’t physically see their families and loved ones. I couldn’t resist and cried throughout the entire short film.

From an ethics standpoint, the gathered information was within its bounds. It’s dancing on edge with Health Insurance and Portability Act (HIPPA) restrictions but was ethically navigated with blurred faces and withholding personal information.