Forging <i>compromiso</i> after the storm: activism as ethics of care among health care workers in Puerto Rico
Jessica Mulligan, Adriana María Garriga-López
Abstract
Puerto Rico was hit by a category 4 hurricane that severely damaged power, water, and communications systems on the 20th of September 2017. Based on 56 qualitative interviews, this article documents how health care workers created a new ethics of care after Hurricane Maria and engaged in novel forms of health activism to both repair past damage and imagine a different future. Many doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals went to work after the storm treating patients, fixing their workplaces, and resolving logistical problems. Health care workers responded emotionally to the event by finding meaning and purpose in their work, forging a sense of solidarity, and valuing their ability to help others. Our respondents used the term compromiso to describe their determination and sense of purpose, and we borrow this term to label the specific ethics of care generated from their experiences after Maria.