YOURSELF PERSONALLY BASICALLY WITH THIS 24-HOUR WORRY THAT
ISN’T GOING AWAY.
HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR TEAM
MANAGING YOUR OWN PERSONAL
APPROACH TO THIS AND HOW YOU
STRUCTURE YOUR DAYS AND WHERE
YOU GET YOUR REST AND HOW YOU’RE
ABLE TO DO THIS THE WAY YOU’RE
DOING IT ON A SEVEN-DAY WEEK
PERIOD -- BASIS?
>> LOOK, LAWRENCE, THERES NO
ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? AS I MENTIONED, I WAS UNTIL THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, SO YOU
RESPOND TO THE CRISIS AT THE
TIME, WHETHER IT WAS HURRICANE
ANDREW IN HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA OR
THE MIDWEST FLOODS, THE LOS
ANGELES EARTHQUAKE WE WENT
THROUGH.
THROUGH. I DID THE DISASTER RELIEF DURING
THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION.
THE REBUILDING IN HAITI AND IN
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.
YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.
ADRENALINE KICKS IN AND THAT THE
THE JOB AND THAT’S WHAT YOU
SIGNED UP FOR, JUST THE WAY THEY
PUT YOU ON A PLANE AND TELL YOU
YOU’RE GOING TO GO OUT AND COVER
THIS.
THIS. THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONGER
PERIOD OF TIME AND I AM WORRIED
ABOUT THAT, SO I AM ROTATING MY
TEAM AND WE HAVE, LIKE, AN A, B
AND A C TEAM BECAUSE NO ONE CAN
DO THIS SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AT
THIS INTENSITY 24 HOURS A DAY
FOR FOUR, FIVE, SIX WEEKS.
SO WE WILL ROTATE PEOPLE.
BUT THIS IS, YOU’RE RIGHT, THIS
IS A GOVERNMENT BEING CALLED ON
TO PERFORM IN A WAY IT HASN’T
PROBABLY IN MOST PEOPLE’S
LIFETIMES, RIGHT?
LIFETIMES, RIGHT? THIS IS A FULL BLOWN NATIONWIDE
CRISIS WHERE GOVERNMENT HAS TO
WORK, LAWRENCE, THIS IS NOT
ABSTRACT.
ABSTRACT. IT’S NOT THOUGH REDT THEORY.
WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT
POLICIES.
POLICIES. YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE GOVERNMENT
OPERATE AND IT HAS TO OPERATE IN
A WAY IT NEVER DID.
YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE HOSPITALS
AND MAKE THEM WORK TOGETHER IN A
WAY THEY NEVER HAVE.
YOU HAVE TO PRODUCE THOSE
SUPPLIES.
SUPPLIES. YOU HAVE TO FIND THOSE GOWNS,
FIND THOSE MASKS, YOU HAVE TO
HAVE THOSE VENTILATORS.
YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO MOVE
PATIENTS BACK AND FORTH AND NOT
ON A FLOWCHART BUT IN A CAR ON A
ROAD AND IT HAS TO HAPPEN, AND
IF GOVERNMENT DOESN’T WORK,
PEOPLE WILL DIE WHO DIDN’T NEED
TO DIE.
TO DIE. SO YOU SEE THIS WHOLE SHIFT U,
LAWRENCE FROM THIS ABSTRACT
DISCUSSION, WOULDN’T IT BE A
GREAT IDEA IF GOVERNMENT DID
THIS?
THIS? TO THE EXACT OPPOSITE SPECTRUM.
THIS IS ALL PRACTICAL.
THIS IS ALL REAL.
THIS IS ALL EXPERIENCE.
THIS IS ALL COMPETENCE.
THIS IS ALL CAPACITY.
AND CAN YOU GET THAT GOVERNMENT
MACHINE TO WORK?
THAT’S WHAT YOU SEE THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT STRUGGLING WITH,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? CAN YOU GET FDA TO WORK WITH CDC
WHEREAS FEMA, SHOULD THEY HAVE
BEEN BUYING SUPPLIES?
HOW DO THEY DO IT?
WHERE DOES HHS FIT IN?
YOU SEE GOVERNMENT AGAINENCYIES
TRYING TO PERFORM, BUT THAT IS
THE REAL TEST FOR GOVERNMENT.
AND FOR ME, YOU KNOW, I VERY
MUCH BELIEVE MY WAY IS TO BE OUT
THERE, LAWRENCE, I SAY TO MY
NATIONAL GUARD ON EVERY DISASTER
THE SAME THING, I’M NOT GOING TO
ASK YOU TO GO ANYWHERE THAT I
DON’T GO.
DON’T GO. AND I’M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU TO
DO ANYTHING THAT I DON’T DO
MYSELF.
MYSELF. AND I DON’T CARE IF IT’S A
FLOOD, IF IT’S A SNOWSTORM,
WHATEVER IT IS.
IF I’M GOING TO ASK SOMEONE ELSE
TO GO OUT THERE, PERSONALLY I
NEED TO GO THERE.
I’M JUST NOT COMFORTABLE SITTING
IN THE OFFICE AND SENDING
SOMEONE OUT WHO HAS A FAMILY,
WHO COULD BE IN A POSITION OF
DANGER UNLESS I WOULD PUT MYSELF
THERE.
THERE. AND THAT’S PERSONAL AND MY
HEALTH CARE ADVISOR SAYS DON’T
DO THAT, THAT’S A MISTAKE BUT I
CAN’T OPERATE ANY OTHER WAY.
SO I’M OUT THERE.
I’M VISITING THE FACILEITYIES
WE’RE SETTING UP.
I’M WORKING WITH THE STAFF.
I WANT TO TALK TO PEOPLE.
THE BEST I CAN, I’M TRYING TO
CALM PEOPLE DOWN AND EXPLAIN
FACTS BECAUSE EVERYBODY GETS 57
DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE FACTS
DIFFERENT DURING THE DAY.
THAT’S HOW I SEE MY ROLE.
AT NIGHT, WE GET THE RESULTS
FROM THE HOSPITALS AND WE START
TO STUDY THE DATA TO SEE IF WE
CAN FIND ANY PATTERNS BECAUSE
I’M STILL LOOKING FOR THAT APEX
OF THE CURVE.
THAT’S WHERE THE ENEMY IS GOING
TO JOIN US, AND I WANT TO MAKE
SURE WE WIN AT THE TOP OF THAT
MOUNTAIN SO WE’RE STILL ON THE
WAY UP ON THE TRAJECTORY, AND
WE’RE STUDYING THE DATA TO SEE
ON THE RISE OF CASES, THE RISE
OF ICU BEDS WHAT IS THAT
CHALLENGE GOING TO BE AT THAT
HIGH POINT?
HIGH POINT? HOW OVER CAPACITY WILL OUR
SYSTEM BE?
SYSTEM BE? HOW MANY VENTILATORS WILL I
NEED?
NEED? HOW MANY AMBULANCES WILL I NEED?
HOW MANY HOSPITALS WILL I NEED?