“I will be honest in saying that I never imagined the degree of exhaustion and the multitude of issues that have come about with this crisis: on a personal level, on an institutional level, on a community level, on a national level.”

For 150 years, Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC has been a beacon of pediatric excellence. With Dr. Joelle Simpson as its Medical Director for Emergency Preparedness, they have partnered with philanthropists to provide free drive-through care and COVID-19 testing. Serving her community’s needs is rewarding; in today’s turbulent times, however, it can also be frustrating and overwhelming.

“How do we manage to reassure children that there is a future for them where they are cared for and where they can find safety regardless of their background, their race, or the color of their skin?” the Trinidad native asks Mike on the podcast. “There's a long road to go for healing and for dealing with the deep‐rooted racism that's in our country.”