FEATURE
WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM / MAY 21, 2020 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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The coronavirus shutdown has had a lot of people living different lives than they did before. Throughout the closures, we’ve been collecting the stories of people who have stepped in and stepped up, doing new things in the name of the greater good during this crisis. Here are some of these locals’ stories.
The frontline health care workers of St. Charles More than 20 nurses who work at St. Charles Bend—and are part of the Oregon Nurses Association—gathered on the lawn by the hospital last week for this shot. Source photographer Megan Baker said both the social distancing requirement and facemasks made for a challenging shoot, but the nurses’ strong gazes and determined postures say it all. Renee Ruiz, a labor representative for Bend and Prineville nurses, organized the photo. David Hilderbrand was in the shot: he’s the ONA Chair for SCB, and in an April Source story, offered an insider’s perspective into what it’s like to work on the intubation team with COVID-19-positive patients during the pandemic. The photo features nurses that work everywhere from the St. Charles Family Birthing Center team to those in the Emergency Department and Operating Room. ‑ Photos by Megan Baker
Janet Llerandi Gonzalez Janet Llerandi Gonzalez is the founder of Mecca Bend, an online directory assistance program for the Latinx Community of Central Oregon, aimed at helping advance Latinx people and integrating them into the wider Central Oregon community. Undocumented individuals have been left out of federal economic recovery assistance programs—but not only that, any residents or U.S. citizens who live with undocumented individuals have also been disqualified from receiving federal aid. Seeing the need for financial support, Llerandi and Mecca Bend, with the support of Embrace Bend, organized the Central Oregon COVID-19 Mutual Aid Relief Fund, offering cash benefits to those left out of support programs. “The backbone of Central Oregon’s economy is the undocumented workers that continue to be pushed to the margins by discrimination and further exploitation,” Llerandi told the Source. “The so-called ‘undocumented’ immigrants have paid over $13 billion annually since 2015 to this nation’s economy through an individual taxpayer’s identification number. As the daughter of immigrant parents, I took this responsibility upon myself to advocate for my community, and be a strong voice for changing the systems of oppression.” Find out more at meccabend.com. ‑ Photo by Megan Baker
