218 - COVID-19 and the Grieving Process After Losing a Loved One with Dr. Debbie Stevens

We’re back for a new season! In this episode of the Be the Bridge podcast, our Director of Programs and Innovation, Faitth Brooks, discusses the impacts of the pandemic with Debbie Stevens, a registered psychiatric nurse practitioner and close friend of our founder, Latasha Morrison, who lost her father to COVID-19 earlier this year. In this much-needed discussion, Faitth and Debbie acknowledge the legacy of medical racism in the U.S., talk about the hope they’ve had amidst the pandemic, and give listeners tips on loving others well through periods of grief.

“Grief is just highly individualized. The way one person grieves is not necessarily the way that you may grieve.” –Debbie Stevens
“It’s really easy to see what somebody else is going through, and then try to relate it back to something you’ve experienced. But the reality is, it’s a time for you to just sit and listen, lending a hand in whatever way possible, and being willing to serve.” –Faitth Brooks
“Because of the legacy of the research and medical community really betraying the Black community—in terms of all the disgraceful things that the medical professional community has done to Black people and taken advantage of them—there’s a lot of distrust.” –Debbie Stevens
“This is a time for us to think collectively and not individually about our wants, about what we desire, and to think about ‘How can I love my neighbor?’” –Faitth Brooks
“I love my patients so I continue to show up for them, and they offer me hope because they haven’t given up. They continue to push forward, and even if they’re losing loved ones and family members, they continue to make their mental health a priority. So that offers me hope that I’m doing something that’s making a difference.” –Debbie Stevens

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