Interviewed by Yaelisa Heredia on October 22, 2020.
Subject : Medical Workers in a small town of Greenfield MA, during Covid-19 October
Yaelisa Heredia (YH): This is Yaelisa Heredia and today is October 22. I am interviewing Catherine Freitag C-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-E F-R-E-I-T-A-G. I am interviewing her for the Hampshire College COVID 19 Oral History Archive. That interview is taking place over Zoom. This interview is sponsored by Hampshire College and it’s part of the first year seminar, Pandemics.
YH: Where are you currently located?
Catherine Freitag (CF): I’m currently located in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
YH: I am currently located at Hampshire College, Amherst, Mass. Do I have the permission to record you to be in the Hampshire College COVID-19 Oral History Archive and to send this recording of our interviews into the Hampshire College COVID-19 oral history project?
CF: Yes
YH: Thank you for letting me interview you. Now can you give me some basic information about you? Like your name, the year you were born, where you live and where are you located, your occupation, and how many years you work there?
CF: OK, so my name is Catherine Freitag and I am 27 years old. My birthday … is that one of the things you asked me? I’m sorry.
YH: The year you were born.
CF: 1993. And then, I currently work at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield as a CNA and I’ve been there now six and a half years.
YH: What are some similarities and differences between working during and before COVID-19?
CF: We still use the similarities between before and after?
YH: Yes.
CF: We still use the same PPE that we did before. Basically, all of our protection is still in place before Covid and after Covid. With like the gowns, the mask, the N95s, the Shields, and the goggles we used prior and after COVID.
YH: Why did you choose to be in the medical field as your profession?
CF: I chose to be in the medical field because I like to help people. I like to see them at their worst. Come in to get the treatment they need and then go home feeling a whole lot better if not 100%. I like seeing the progression of them.
YH: How long have you been working as a CNA?
CF: I have been working as a CNA now for eight years.
YH: What does a CNA mean to you?
CF: It means you can help the nurses provide the care to the patient that they deserve. Help them with extra tasks that the nurse may not have time for.
YH: How does it feel to know that you’re making a difference every day?
CF: It feels really good knowing that I can make a difference in somebody’s life by helping them when they feel the worst.
YH: What precautions does your job take for COVID-19 for employees and patients?
CF: We have them in a single room. We put up a special sign to let everybody know that they have to gown up a certain way to go into the room. We wear N95s now, when before, we only used them for certain other precautions.
YH: What changes have been made by the hospital administration to ensure workers and patients safety due to this pandemic?
CF: What they have changed is they have provided us with more PPE. I’m sorry. Can you repeat the question?
YH: What changes have been made by the hospital administration to ensure workers’ and patients’ safety due to the pandemic?
CF: So, like I said before, sorry, the gear that we need to be provided the proper care so we don’t get sick as the patient. They have hired more staff so we’re not so short staffed. So, we can have extra help on the floors. Yeah, sorry.
YH: Do you feel at risk of catching the coronavirus?
CF: Yes, I feel at risk, just because I am in the medical field and work side-by-side with it.
YH: Have your hours and wages changed because of the pandemic?
CF: No, they have stayed the same.
YH: What are the benefits and disadvantages of your job during a pandemic?
CF: Advantages: knowing that I am making a difference. A disadvantage: knowing that I might be bringing this virus home to my family. And not knowing if I am doing it or not until, you know, the two week period.
YH: Do you feel as if you are putting your family or anyone at risk of catching COVID due to working at the hospital?
CF: Yes, I just feel like I’m at a higher risk. I feel like it’s going on everywhere but we deal with sick people every day. So, yes, I do feel I’m at risk.
YH: Has anyone you know or worked with gotten sick because of Covid?
CF: Yes.
YH: What do you recommend for people to stop the spread of Covid?
CF: Still social distance. That’s a big part of it and keep wearing your mask until they can find a solution to help us.
YH: Thank you and I am going to stop recording. And you should be getting a call back from me.
CF: Alright. Thank you.