"Protecting Me Means Protecting Us" reported by Kortni Smyers-Jones Artwork

Hope from the Front Lines

Hope from the Front Lines peeks beyond the headlines finding stories of struggle, passion, and strength from essential caregivers of color doing the heavy lift - protecting Chicago’s most vulnerable during this COVID-19 pandemic. The series is produced by Juneteenth Productions with funding support from the McCormick Foundation.

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Hope from the Front Lines

"Protecting Me Means Protecting Us" reported by Kortni Smyers-Jones

August 27, 2020 • Season 1 • Episode 6

With COVID-19 related hospitalizations increasing and many hospitals allowing visitation to resume, hospital workers worry about their protection from contracting the virus. In this episode, hospital workers Bernita Drayton and Caprice Nevils discuss the need for greater safety protocols as their exposure to the virus increases.

Reporter Kortni Smyers-Jones recently graduated from DePaul University with a master’s degree in journalism. Her love for storytelling and documentaries inspired her while still a student to form her own production company, Behind the Dream, with a fellow classmate. Kortni was drawn to Hope from the Front Lines because she’s dedicating her career to focusing on the needs of people and to be a force of good. She loves anything that reminds her of summer: the sun, sun flowers, going to the beach and the color yellow.