INN Between resident Paul Youngblood is cared for by death doula Kimberly Peterson, No One Dies Alone volunteer Amy Leininger and his grandson, Sylys Dye, at the INN in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023. Youngblood, who had been homeless for six years and was battling heart failure, came to the facility to die. Youngblood died peacefully at the inn with a death doula by his side. Deseret News

By Deseret News PR

The Society of Professional Journalists recognized Deseret News photographer Laura Seitz with the prestigious 2023 Sigma Delta Chi Award this week.

The Sigma Delta Chi annual awards honor the best in professional journalism nationwide. Winners are selected from categories covering print, radio, television and online news production. This year’s winners include selections from Newsday, The New York Times, NBC News, Los Angeles Times and more.

Seitz’s winning photography came from the piece The place where no one dies alone. She took home the top prize in the “Photo Essay or Slideshow” category.

“Laura is an amazingly talented photographer, so it comes at no surprise that she is being honored on a national stage. We are lucky to have her be a part of the Deseret News team,” Chuck Wing, managing editor for photography, said. “Laura’s passion for visually telling stories is second-to-none. But her compassion for her subjects is really Laura’s true gift.”

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See some of Seitz winning photos here:

INN Between residents pay their respects as Wiscombe MemorialÕs Bryce Beesley removes Paul Youngblood from the facility on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. Youngblood had been a resident at the INN since April. | Laura Seitz
Death doula Kimberly Peterson, center, tries to compose herself as Paul YoungbloodÕs grandson Sylys Dye and YoungbloodÕs hospice nurse Lori Mills discuss arrangements as they prepared for his imminent death at The INN Between in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Peterson's role as doula includes helping ensure that a person's final wishes are honored. | Laura Seitz
INN Between resident Linea Trottier is comforted by resident, Taylor Moore, during a memorial service for her sister, Lisa Trottier, at the INN Between in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. The INN Between provides medical respite and end-of-life care for the homeless. Lisa and Linea Trottier moved to the INN after extensive hospital stays. They lost their apartment and were on the brink of homelessness before moving into the inn. Lisa Trottier was the 114th resident at the inn to die since it first opened in 2015. | Laura Seitz
Kellie Mieremet, community engagement manager at The INN Between, sits vigil at Paul YoungbloodÕs death bed on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Youngblood died three days later. | Laura Seitz
Nurse Chaplain Lauren Cetlin gives Jon OÕRourke a massage in his room at The INN Between in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. OÕRourke became homeless after his career as a plumber ended. Prescribed painkillers knocked down the pain but let his body erode even more. HeÕs been told that his heart failure is terminal. OÕRourkeÕs health needs became more than the INN was licensed for and was transferred to a nursing facility. | Laura Seitz
Death doula Kimberly Peterson shutters Paul YoungbloodÕs room following his death at The INN Between in Salt Lake City on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The room will remain closed for three days as a show of respect. | Laura Seitz
No One Dies Alone volunteer Amy Leininger sits with Paul Youngblood at The INN Between in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, as his grandson, Sylys Dye pets one of the inn's feline residents. Sylys was YoungbloodÕs only relative who visited him at the end of his life. | Laura Seitz
Jon O’Rourke receives well wishes on his 66th birthday at The INN Between in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
INN Between resident Patti Larsen, left, comforts Linea Trottier after a memorial service for Linea’s sister, Lisa, at the inn in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. Lisa Trottier was the 114th resident of the inn to die there, but her death was unexpected. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Chaplain Lauren Cetlin uses Reiki to help Jon O’Rourke at The INN Between in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Reiki is based on gentle hand movements to reduce stress and promote healing. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Jon O’Rourke in his room at The INN Between in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. A former plumber, he battled rheumatic heart disease at the inn before being transferred to a nursing home due to frequent falls. Though he had planned to die in hospice there, the inn staff couldn't manage his ambulatory needs. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Symbii Hospice nurse Lori Mills visits her patient, Paul Youngblood, at The INN  Between in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. The inn works with local hospice staffs while providing residents a safe haven as they are dying. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Paul Youngblood sits in his room at The INN BetweenÊin Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Youngblood arrivedÊwith chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure. Nurses, volunteers and death doulas wrote in YoungbloodÕs journal. There are stories of Youngblood's love of poetry, ice cream and sugary hot coffee; losses and gains and suffering. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Kimberly Peterson chats with a resident during the eighth anniversary party at The INN Between in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. Residents, their family members and neighbors were invited to the celebration. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Rita Orosco caresses the urn containing her son Issaac ChavezÕs remains at Evergreen Memorial Park in Ogden on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. Issaac, who passed away at 38-years-old, was in hospice care at The INN Between just under a month before going to a hospital where he died of lung cancer. Chavez chose to live on the streets, but agreed to stay at his motherÕs home one night a week so that she knew he was fed and slept in a real bed. | Laura Seitz
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