Learning from New York City Health + Hospitals' Experience with COVID-19

Abstract

Health SecurityVol. 18, No. 5 Special Feature: NYC Health+Hospitals COVID-19 ResponseFree AccessLearning from New York City Health + Hospitals' Experience with COVID-19Eric TonerEric TonerAddress correspondence to: Eric Toner, MD, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, 621 East Pratt St, Suite 210, Baltimore, MD 21202 E-mail Address: Email:E-mail Address: etoner1@jhu.eduEric Toner, MD, is a Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and a Senior Scientist, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; both in Baltimore, MD.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:12 Oct 2020https://doi.org/10.1089/hs.2020.0143AboutSectionsView articleView PDFView PDF Plus ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View articleIn this special feature of Health Security, we present a compendium of 7 commentaries by authors from New York City Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H) describing their experience with the first surge of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) cases to hit the United States. NYC H + H is the nation's largest municipal health system, with over 40,000 employees providing care in 11 acute care hospitals, 5 post-acute care facilities, many ambulatory care centers, and correctional health services. During March and April 2020, New York City was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. With a peak of nearly 11,000 new confirmed cases per day on April 9, it bore the brunt of the US pandemic response. These commentaries illustrate and document the many lessons learned during this arduous and, at times, desperate effort to save lives and maintain a functioning health system.We have worked with NYC H + H to release these valuable commentaries quickly while we are still in the midst of the pandemic, so that other cities and hospitals in the United States and elsewhere can learn from NYC H+H's hard-learned lessons. The commentaries cover activities from a wide spectrum of departments, programs, and activities within the health system, including the emergency department, special pathogen program, quality and wellness offices, palliative care, emergency management, and community care division. The commentaries describe many innovative projects, such as using isolation hotels, working with the military to combat acute psychological stress in healthcare workers, and providing palliative care remotely.New York City has been challenged many times in recent years (eg, 9/11, Hurricane Sandy), but never before has the healthcare system been so profoundly tested. We applaud the valiant and often heroic efforts of the New York City healthcare workers during this pandemic. It is our hope that by providing this rapid-cycle special feature we can give our readers valuable insights into how to better prepare their own hospital, city, or organization for the COVID-19 pandemic and future health crises.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 18Issue 5Oct 2020 InformationCopyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Eric Toner.Health Security.Oct 2020.349-349.http://doi.org/10.1089/hs.2020.0143Published in Volume: 18 Issue 5: October 12, 2020KeywordsCOVID-19New York CityPublic health preparedness/response