Thread by @chelsea_wats

THREAD: As #Omicron surges and our systems strain, I wanted to share my #COVID19 experience in NYC last month. It was actually a hopeful window into what a society where we look out for one another and a government that is set up to truly care for us could look like.

My symptoms started with a slight dry cough on a Monday. On Tuesday, I woke up sick and got tested. (I was double vaxxed, not boosted). Wednesday morning, I found out I was positive. Within a few hours, I got a call from @NYCHealthSystem Test and Trace Corps.

My contact tracer was helpful and kind. My partner got a tracing call within the hour. Instead of putting the responsibility on the sick individual to trace their steps, the corps took a community level approach to stopping the spread by making the calls for me.

Then, they shared the free resources available:
- A home isolation “Take Care Package” (Get this!)
- Grocery or medicine delivery
- A FREE 10-Day HOTEL STAY including 3 meals a day and transportation (I said no but should have said yes. I've heard it's good!)
- and…

- Help with domestic violence, threat of eviction, and other social services
- 10 paid days off from employers
- Medical tele-health appointments or mental health support
- Pet care (they will walk your dog!)
- Support paying for utilities
- …& more!

A few days later I received the "Take Care Package” w/ masks, sanitizer, clorox wipes, thermometer, OXIMETER (expensive!!), and a cute lil booklet on how to navigate COVID. I needed all of this to monitor symptoms and safely isolate from my partner w whom I share a 1-BR.

This program not only tended to my medical & physical needs, but also MATERIAL and SOCIAL needs. In order to not spread the virus, one needs to have a *safe place* to isolate and not be forced to work or leave their space for any reason.

The Test and Trace corps required me to either answer a call or text every day for 10 days. Every day, they asked about my symptoms and continued to offer the support I listed above.

On day 5, I took a turn for the worse. I was weak, sick, scared. It was a weekend so I could not reach my PCP. I called the public urgent care # in my booklet (courtesy of the care package) and connected with a nyc doctor in 5 minutes.

Because of the severity of my case and my underlying medical conditions, they referred me to get the monoclonal antibody treatment…for FREE. If you are in an at-risk group, the state of NY will pay for you to get the treatment. Regardless of insurance or immigration status.

I had some ambivalent feelings about accepting the treatment, but my community lovingly knocked some sense into me and I soon had an appointment scheduled. On day 8 I received the treatment at a nearby public hospital.

I like the doctor I have through my private insurance, but it took 3 days to get an appt and they did not make any plans for support beyond my physical symptoms during our 30 minute check up. No 10-day plan, no material support. Just, "take tylenol, call us if you need us!"

The @NYCHealthSystem Test and Trace Corps cared for me like a full human being. They took a long term approach to tending to my needs, and have clearly baked society-level solutions into every step of the process.

The benefits of this program go far beyond just that they are free. The whole approach is rooted in an understanding of how our communities, workplaces, social and material conditions are all deeply connected to our personal wellbeing and to the health of our society

Programs like these can and do exist! But are repeatedly blocked (throughout history) by a handful of politicians who spread lies and fuel divisions, blaming Black and brown people and new Americans for the problems that the 1% created, so they can make health a product for sale

These same folx want to distract us from coming together across race & class backgrounds to demand a public system that ensures the care we need. But, NYrs created this program, and we still have the power to put in place govts that prioritize our health, no matter who we are.

I don’t know how much of my experience will hold now that #Omicron is surging – our public workers, health workers, and systems are straining under unprecedented pressure – but @NYCHealthStystem gave me a glimpse of a hopeful path through this wave.

I know things are scary again and it is hard to see the light. My experience with this small & mighty program filled me with hope. If this is possible during a pandemic, we can make programs like this a new normal for providing care for generations to come. (Imagine!)

While we continue to build towards that better future, check out @NYCHealthSystem’s Test and Trace Corps. If you have covid, answer their call. If you need help, call them and they’ll provide you the care and resources you need to get well! Check out nychealthandhospitals.org/test-and-trace/