QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 26, 2020 Page 18
C M SQ page 18 Y K
Hospital CEO nervous about supply shortage Coronavirus concerns lead to long lines, social distancing questions by David Russell Associate Editor
As residents flock to hospitals and urgent care centers with coronavirus cases increasing, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Israel Rocha acknowledged there is nervousness about the availability of supplies. “From a hospital perspective, we get nervous because we’re built to plan in months, so anytime you get less than three months you get really nervous about supplies,” he told the Chronicle Tuesday. Rocha said the hospital has what it needs though his concern is the upcoming weeks. “This surge has put a strain on that planning,” he said. He said there have been resources from the city’s Office of Emergency Management as well as supplies from the state. Rocha also noted that Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have been attempting to get the federal government to send supplies to the city. When asked by 1010 WINS Monday if there were any hospitals in particular being stressed, de Blasio jumped to Elmhurst, saying it “has had an extraordinary amount of activity and that’s in part because there’s 2.3 million people in Queens and fewer hospitals proportionally than some other parts of the city.” Rocha said his hospital is in the process
The scene outside NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst on Tuesday morning as people look to get PHOTO BY JASON D. ANTOS tested for the coronavirus. of complying with Cuomo’s mandate of increasing capacity by 50 percent. “People are looking for information, they’re looking for opportunities and so we really had a mix of different types of patients,” Rocha said. “We had some with symptoms, some that had exposure, some that were acutely ill and some that needed
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immediate acute assistance.” He said a triage is done to see what patients are waiting for, with people being sent to tents outside the building. Rocha also said the hospital is working with the NYPD on social distancing. A New York Post story showed a long line of people gathered at the site Monday. They were in
close proximity and not 6 feet away from each other. “It’s something we continue to monitor but like any line, line management and crowd management is a difficult situation,” Rocha said, noting that all the people in the photo did have protective masks. He said he personally saw social distancing Tuesday. However, one person, who was indecisive about getting on line Tuesday, told the Chronicle, “People are standing close next to each other. Some people are wearing [masks], some people aren’t. Who wants to be around this?” Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Corona) and Jonathan Krane, founding member of the Queensboro Football Club, donated 1,000 surgical masks to the hospital. Rocha had reached out to Moya to request help with a shortage of personal protective equipment. “Healthcare professionals are on the front line of this crisis and we need to make sure they’re able to suit up for that fight,” said Moya, who was previously director of business development for the hospital. “Doctors, nurses and hospital staff are the heroes of this moment. We need to make every effort, big and small, to get them the armor they Q need to stay in the fight.” Jason D. Antos contributed to this story.
Mayor calls on NYers for blood donations by David Russell
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As the coronavirus sweeps the city, Mayor de Blasio is calling on New Yorkers to donate blood. “Giving blood is essential,” he said Sunday during a media availability. “So we need New Yorkers to step forward. Go to any New York blood center site in the city.” The home page for the New York Blood Center has an alert saying there’s an urgent need for blood and platelet donors for coronavirus emergency preparedness. The center said there is no evidence that the coronavirus can be transmitted by blood transfusion. “It is safe to donate blood, and we encourage healthy individuals to donate so that blood is available for those patients who need,” it says on the site. For more information call 1 (800) 9332566 or visit nybc.org. The blood center is asking donors to selfscreen before coming in to donate. NYBC is telling people not to donate if they have a fever or other symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, had close contact with someone diagnosed with or suspected of
The New York Blood Center says the need FILE PHOTO for donations is urgent. having COVID-19 in the last 14 days or have been diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19 until 28 days after the illness has resolved. The blood center does not test for the coronavirus. People can donate if they are 17 years old — 16 with written consent from a parent or legal guardian — weigh at least 110 pounds and are in good health. Donors 76 and older can continue to donate if they meet eligibility criteria and present a physician’s letter allowing them to donate. In the absence of a letter, they must be cleared by an NYBC Q medical director at each location.