MISSION
Our movement seeks to protect nursing home residents and workers who have been systematically disempowered and put in harm’s way by public officials and health care administrators.
NHLM founder Vincent Pierce is a father, music producer, youth educator, gun violence survivor and OPEN DOORS Reality Poet. He is also a nursing home resident. In July 2020, encouraged by the groundswell of demonstrations in support for Black lives, Vince launched #NursingHomeLivesMatter in response to the COVID-19 crisis and its devastating impact on the primarily Black and Brown residents of Coler Rehabilitation & Nursing Care Center on Roosevelt Island in New York City.
“During the height of the pandemic, we were left in the dark as hundreds of Covid patients were moved into our home; the infected were left in bedrooms with the uninfected; quadriplegic residents were kept in bed for days, at risk of pressure sores becoming fatal; Coler’s administration lied about dire PPE and staffing shortages and grossly underreported the number of deaths. For months, we have been cut off from family and friends and are only allowed outdoors for a few hours a day in an area defined by police tape.”
We ask
Why aren’t our voices heard and respected? Why does our home feel like a prison? How will it be different in the future as we prepare for a second wave?
We demand
(1) Resident and staff safety, (2) Clear communication and respect from administration, (3) Involvement in the decision-making process and (4) Racial justice across health care systems.
We work
To secure and protect the rights of nursing home lives worldwide and stand in solidarity with all people who are dehumanized and confined within oppressive institutions.
TAKE ACTION
NHLM Gathering — Saturday December 19, 2:00-3:00pm
With cases on the rise we fear that the city will bring Covid patients back into our home. It’s not right and we demand that it doesn’t happen again. We ask you to stand with us and take action against the higher powers that seem to not care about the Black and Brown population living and working inside of Coler nursing home. We deserve to be treated equally and with respect. #NursingHomeLivesMatter
We will be in the yard on Saturday at 2pm EST. Please join us outside the courtyard fence for a socially distanced and masked gathering—to hear our testimonials and to offer your words of support.
HOLIDAY MASK DRIVE
When desperate staff at Coler risked their jobs by begging for PPE on social media, OPEN DOORS helped coordinate the donation and distribution of 2,500 masks.
CURRENT GOAL: 5,000+ MASKS!
Every mask helps. Both N95 and KN95 masks are accepted and greatly appreciated. (Staff have requested that construction worker masks with around-the-head bands not be purchased because they are uncomfortable. Thank you.)
BUY MASKS HERE:
Please send masks to:
OPEN DOORS
531 Main Street, apt 812
New York, NY 10044