This is a difficult email to send.

I’m devastated to report that over the past few days, several NYSNA members have fallen victim to COVID-19.

On Saturday, we lost Freda Ocran, a psychiatric nurse at Jacobi Medical Center. Freda had previously worked at several other hospitals in the Bronx, including North Central Bronx and Bronx Lebanon Hospital.

Since then, we’ve also lost Theresa Lococo, a pediatric nurse at Kings County Hospital Center. Theresa was a 48-year NYSNA member, serving patients in New York City’s public hospital system since 1972.

You can read about Freda and Theresa in a recent tribute in the New York Post.

Many of you also saw the reports of Kious Kelly, an assistant nurse manager at Mount Sinai-West, who died last week from a COVID-19 infection. Kelly was the first RN in New York killed by the virus, and before becoming an assistant nurse manager, he was a NYSNA member for several years.

Losing colleagues to this pandemic is devastating for all of us on the frontlines, and our hearts go out to their families.

We’re establishing a memorial page on NYSNA's website to honor these nurses, and others who fall victim during this crisis.

If you have pictures or remembrances of colleagues you’d like to share, send them to covidmemorial@nysna.org.

In the midst of this unprecedented and incredibly stressful public health crisis, I wanted to highlight our Union Assistance Program (UAP), which offers grief counseling and related mental health supports available 24/7.

With great sadness and solidarity,
Pat Kane, RN
Executive Director