What I didn’t notice was that staff who were Navajo shied away from the room after her death. Later one of the nurses explained the Navajo’s belief and fear of the spirit of the dead that lingers around the body. My physician colleague and I only had a short period to debrief the staff before ambulances brought in several trauma patients needing our care. Later I learned more about the life of the young woman, a former Miss Navajo, from multiple news stories celebrating her life. Although I have witnessed innumerable deaths during my career, including those of young people and children, the cultural aspects and fear of exposure during a pandemic made this experience different. I developed a new respect for how devastating the effects of COVID-19 can be.
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ACEP Now: Vol 39 – No 08 – August 2020
Dr. Chartoff is assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Hartford, an emergency physician at the University of Connecticut–Hartford Hospital, and medical director of Team Rubicon Northeast Territory.
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