The former head nurse at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi’s psychiatric unit in the Bronx has died from COVID-19, authorities said Monday.
Freda Ocran, 50, succumbed to the virus Saturday after apparently becoming infected while treating sick New Yorkers at the hospital. Ocran was one of numerous Jacobi nurses to complain about a lack of safety gear and tests for front-line workers at the facility, which is experiencing a massive influx of coronavirus patients.
City health officials have declined to answer Bronx Justice News’ questions about how many people have died from the virus at Jacobi; how many ventilators the hospital possesses; and other questions about supply shortages.
Kevin Deutsch is a Staff Writer for Bronx Justice News covering the criminal justice system, drugs, and DNA use by law enforcement. An award-winning journalist, Deutsch is the author of the true crime books "Pill City" and "The Triangle." He has worked on staff at the Daily News, Miami Herald, Newsday, The Palm Beach Post, and The Riverdale Press. His work has also appeared in Newsweek, Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Forward, The Independent, Huffington Post, Orlando Sentinel, and the New York Post, among other publications. His numerous television appearances include spots on CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN's BookTV. He has also been featured in The New Yorker. A Bronx resident, Deutsch hosts the true crime podcast "A Dark Turn" on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.
