November 2020

When widespread restrictions were put in place across the country to stem the spread of COVID-19, they carried with them unintended consequences for a particularly vulnerable group of people.

Now 88 years old, Mrs. Fickes recalls fondly her early days of nursing — including getting thrown into the deep end of a public health crisis similar to what we are now facing.

Pandemic restrictions such as quarantine and lockdowns isolate vulnerable people and limit their chances of safely leaving an abusive situation.