Transcendients: Memorial to Healthcare Workers
Died 15 May 2020
FALNESHIA ADAMS
RACE/ETHNICITY Black
OCCUPATION Environmental services professional
LOCATION Philadelphia, PA
AGE 49
CONCERNS ABOUT ADEQUATE PPE? No
Hospital cleaner loved to dance and travel
When Falneshia Adams walked into a hospital room during her shift on 3 April, she had no idea a Covid-positive patient had been treated there.
She cleaned the room as she typically would, making sure it was spotless. She likely had a smile on her face, her sister Shani Adams said, but she wore no PPE.
Adams had worked in the sedation unit at Children’s Hospital, her employer of 24 years. She repeatedly asked supervisors for masks, which they eventually supplied, her sister said. (The hospital declined to comment for this story.)
But it was too late.
Adams continued to work until 10 April, when she went to the emergency room with a fever. A Covid test came back positive about a week later. She was hospitalized on 20 April with low oxygen levels.
Adams loved to dance. She was on the drill team in high school and spent Friday nights line-dancing. She also loved casinos, travel, prayer and spending time with her family.
Adams stayed close with her aunt, Sharon Robinson-Cuttino, and two sisters until the end. “I love her, and I miss her; we all miss her,” Robinson-Cuttino said. “But I know she’s in a better place, and she’s at peace.”
– Anna Sirianni