Lost on the frontline is a collaboration between the Guardian and Kaiser Health News that aims to document the lives of healthcare workers in the US who die from Covid-19, and to understand why so many are falling victim to the pandemic.

Each week, were documenting new cases of healthcare workers who have died on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Here are their stories:

Chantee Mack, 44A good soul who followed her mother into healthcare

Occupation: Disease intervention specialistPlace of work: Prince Georges county health department in Cheverly, MarylandDate of death: 11 May 2020

Chantee Mack was a second mom to her younger brother Roland Mack.

Chantee, Roland and their brother Aric grew up in Prince Georges county, Maryland. Their single mother, Sue Ann Mack, a nurse, sometimes took Chantee to work, inspiring a love of healthcare.

For 19 years, Mack served the community in the county health department, where one of her jobs was to tell people the results of tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

Mack considered her mother her best friend and lived with her into adulthood, caring for her when Sue Ann became paraplegic. When her mother died a decade ago, Mack sank into a depression, but she remained committed to helping people. She hoped eventually to follow her mother into nursing.

She was a good soul, Roland said.

Family and friends believe she contracted Covid-19 from a co-worker in March when, according to union officials, personal protective equipment was not widely used and people were not routinely social distancing. Health department leaders wouldnt discuss Macks death but said the safety of workers was a top priority and workplace protections now include PPE and social distancing.

Laura Ungar

Sally Lara, 62Lab assistant spoke out about employee safety

Occupation: Lab assistant Place of work: Riverside community hospital in Riverside, CaliforniaDate of death: 8 June 2020

Sally Lara was so supportive of her daughters childhood dream of becoming an astronaut that, one summer, she took her to Kennedy Space Center, where they ate astronaut food and rode a flight simulator.

Vanessa Campos, who works in a nursing home, said that when Covid-19 hit, her mother picked up extra shifts. She pressed management about employee safety and PPE practices, encouraging her daughter to do the same.

Lara developed symptoms on Mothers Day. Campos recalled driving with her husband, tears streaming down their faces as they prayed for a miracle. The hospital staff tried everything, she said.

Riverside community hospital said in a statement it was devastated by the loss of Lara and that its focus has been on protecting our caregivers and colleagues and ensuring they have enough personal protective equipment.

Nearly a month after Lara became ill, Campos called and spoke her final words to her mother: If its your time, go peacefully. If its not your time, I need you to fight. I love you so much; thank you for fighting.

Christina Jewett

Paul Moise, 50Father of three juggled multiple jobs

Occupation: Subacute unit manager and licensed practical nursePlaces of work: Various nursing homes in New JerseyDate of death: 12 April 2020

Paul Moise had been taking online classes to further his career when the coronavirus emerged in New Jersey. Moises wife, Rose, recalled that one of the facilities where he worked, Alameda center, did not have sufficient masks. He was ordering his own, she said.

The Alameda center did not respond to requests for comment.

By early April, Moise began experiencing shortness of breath and stayed home from work without paid sick leave. His wife said he was unable to access a Covid-19 test, but the coroner confirmed the virus as his cause of death.

Rose, also a nurse, fell ill too, making it hard to care for their three, school-age children.

Moise, who was born in Haiti and loved playing soccer, worked at three assisted living centers. He was a good worker, Rose said, because he was a good team leader.

Jessica Klein

Nicanor Nick Baltazar, 60A nurse with boundless energy, he advocated for patients

Occupation: Director of nursingPlace of work: Long Island care center in Queens, New YorkDate of death: 31 March 2020

Nick Baltazar loved to sing, even when no one was around. His wife, Grace, and daughter, Abigail, often joined in. He even brought a karaoke machine to the nursing home where he worked, and he and Abigail once serenaded patients there with Endless Love.

Nick had boundless energy too. He exercised twice a day and walked to work. He was a tireless advocate for patients and his employees, often taking novice nurses under his wing.

He was known to stay up late to bake treats, like cassava cake, for co-workers, and when Abigail was studying nursing in Buffalo, her parents would pack the car with groceries and meals hed prepared for her. I would tell him, you know, there are grocery stores in Buffalo! Abigail said.

Avid gardeners, Nick and Graces last harvest was so abundant that he invited co-workers to pick peppers, tomatoes and bitter melon.

After 40 years in nursing, he planned on retiring in two more.

On 20 March, he developed a cough and fever. He tested positive for Covid-19 and died two weeks later as he waited to be admitted to the hospital.

His employer did not respond to requests for comment.

Natalie Mufson, Columbia Journalism School

Kettely Desire, 64Grandmother worked extra hours at nursing home ravaged by Covid-19

Occupation: Certified nursing assistantPlace of work: Alliance Health at West Acres in Brockton, MassachusettsDate of death: 11 April 2020

Kettely Desire had been planning a party for her granddaughters high school graduation when the coronavirus swept through the nursing home where she worked.

She became ill in late March after working a double shift, according to her son. She was hospitalized and put on a ventilator before succumbing to complications from Covid-19.

By late April, 23 staff members had tested positive for Covid-19, and 22 of the facilitys patients had died, according to the Boston Globe.

An Alliance Health spokeswoman, Kate Kahn, said the facility started having staff wear protective gear before it was mandated by the state. She added that Desire was well respected for her compassionate caregiving and professional demeanor.

Desires Facebook page reveals an enduring love for music from her native Haiti and devotion to her Brockton church, where congregants are shown dancing and singing during holiday celebrations.

JK

Norman Einhorn, 69 Brilliant eye specialist liked to party

Occupation: OptometristPlaces of work: Central New Jersey rehabilitation centersDate of death: 6 June 2020

He could talk with anybody, about anything. He could sing. He loved wine, Italian dinners and concerts: Springsteen, Madonna, Diana Ross. Always with his wife, Joy Einhorn.

He was brilliant, she said, and he also liked to party.

Norman had an optometry practice since 1983 but also worked in neuro-optometry, helping people whose illnesses or injuries impair their vision. He treated stroke patients, Special Olympic athletes and trauma victims. Its like physical therapy, Joy said, but for the eyes.

He shuttered his office in March, following state orders, but continued to see patients at three rehabilitation centers. His family believes he contracted the coronavirus at one of the centers.

Norman lost his appetite and started coughing in May. Other family members got sick, too. Norman died in the hospital about two weeks after his diagnosis.

Norman thought he had been protecting himself, Joy said, but its just so contagious.

Maureen OHagan

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A lively nursing director, an outspoken phlebotomist: US healthcare workers who died from Covid-19 - The Guardian