Cooper University Health Care’s award-winning oral history video series documenting frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been officially accepted into the Library of Congress.
Stories in Care, a 22-episode documentary series, is now part of the American Folklife Center’s “Stories from the COVID-19 Pandemic” collection. Stories in Care highlights the courage, compassion, and humanity of Cooper’s Critical Care team as they faced an unprecedented global health crisis.
Produced in collaboration with Narrative Media, the series captures the raw, emotional experiences of physicians, nurses, and staff in Cooper’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during the earliest and most uncertain days of the pandemic.
“While the story of COVID-19 is often told in numbers—tests, hospital admissions, and deaths—we wanted to capture and preserve the deeply human stories behind those statistics,” Dr. Nitin Puri, director of Critical Care Medicine at Cooper, whose team is featured in the series.
“Documenting the COVID-19 pandemic experience and lessons learned by frontline clinical teams is important for future generations,” Kevin O’Dowd, co-CEO of Cooper said. “We are deeply grateful to Cooper’s courageous, compassionate, and committed team of critical care professionals for all they did during the pandemic and honored that these powerful stories will now be preserved as part of our nation’s historical record.”
“Five years after the start of the pandemic, this series is still powerful and emotional and provides an invaluable perspective—not only for the public but for future generations of health care workers,” Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, co-CEO of Cooper said. “Stories in Care is an historical record but also serves as a living tribute to the humanity and emotional toll experienced as well as the dedication and sacrifice of the brave clinicians who worked on the front lines during an incredibly difficult time.”
In addition to its inclusion in the Library of Congress, the series has been recognized with a coveted Gold Telly Award and a Gold Ragan PR Daily Award for Best Web Series. Since its debut on Cooper’s website and social media channels, Stories in Care has garnered nearly 40,000 views.
