Disciplines

African American Studies

Abstract

Disciplines

African American Studies

Abstract

Summary by Jocelyn Defex.

In this oral history interview for the Bronx COVID-19 Oral History Project, Grace Schmidt and Allison Lecce interview Ingrid Cardona, the Food and Nutrition Department Operations Manager at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. Ingrid discusses her background, her role in food service management at the hospital, and the adaptations her department made during the pandemic. Ingrid, raised in the Bronx, has worked at St. Barnabas for over two decades, initially joining due to a connection through her mother.

In her role, Ingrid manages food safety standards and oversees a unionized team that prepares over 1,500 meals daily for patients, staff, and visitors. When the pandemic began, her team had to adjust operations by switching to disposable serving items, creating grab-and-go options, and implementing strict sanitization protocols. Ingrid also shares the personal challenges she faced: her husband, a St. Barnabas telecommunications worker, was one of the first employees infected with COVID-19, and she adopted strict hygiene protocols at home to protect her two young daughters.

Ingrid describes the heightened workload and stress for staff, who worked extended hours to meet the needs of a growing patient population. The hospital provided free meals for staff to support morale during this challenging period. With her children home due to school closures, Ingrid relied on her retired father for childcare. Balancing her demanding work with family responsibilities took a toll on her mental health, exacerbating her anxiety. Ingrid expresses gratitude for her parents' support and pride in her team's resilience and dedication.

Moreover, Ingrid courageously recounts the heartbreaking journey of her husband Warren's battle with COVID-19. At first, Warren had a persistent cough that he attributed to allergies, though Ingrid urged him to get checked by a doctor. After being prescribed an albuterol pump and later prednisone, his condition worsened. Eventually, Ingrid took Warren to urgent care, where tests revealed severe pneumonia, prompting his immediate transfer to the hospital. In the emergency room, Ingrid felt relieved upon seeing a familiar doctor, Dr. Patty, but he warned her that her husband’s condition was dire. The hospital quickly admitted Warren, and they later placed him in isolation due to suspected COVID-19 symptoms.

Over the next few days, Warren’s health deteriorated, and he required intubation. Then, St. Barnabas transferred him to another hospital where he received experimental treatment. Unfortunately, his body struggled, and Ingrid received a series of distressing updates, eventually leading to the devastating news of his passing. In a final, intimate conversation, Warren expressed his love and found solace in believing he would reunite with his deceased parents. This emotional moment has left Ingrid grappling with unresolved feelings and loss.

Reflecting on this traumatic experience, Ingrid tearfully describes how she found the strength to care for herself and her children after losing her husband to COVID-19 while also battling the virus herself. However, it was devastating for her to be separated from her children for over a month while recovering. Her reunion with them was bittersweet because the loss of Warren impacted all of them deeply. Saint Barnabas and her community rallied around her, providing financial and emotional support through food deliveries, a GoFundMe, and a neighborhood effort to ensure her family had necessities. Her gratitude toward the hospital and her community was immense, and their support helped her cherish her husband’s memory.

The pandemic brought profound life changes, with Ingrid shouldering all responsibilities once shared with her husband, from financial burdens to daily parenting tasks. She described a grueling daily routine, working long hours while also caring for her daughters, both of whom have experienced grief-related challenges requiring therapy. Ingrid reflected on how her community united, with friends, neighbors, and even her husband’s high school classmates offering support. She noted how people across the Bronx came together to treat each other like family during the pandemic.

Also, Ingrid found solace in grief counseling sessions where others who had lost loved ones to COVID-19 could express their feelings. Finally, she highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on the Bronx and emphasized the urgent need for people to understand how deeply it affected the communities. She expressed gratitude to the interviewers, saying that sharing her experience was a part of her healing process and a way to preserve her husband’s memory for their children.

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