PER HOUR. OUR DOCTOR ON DUTY IS STANDING
BY.
BY. WE’LL GET TO HER IN JUST A
MOMENT.
MOMENT. BUT LET ME START ARE DR. LOREEN
HILL, A SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,
ALSO THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
FOR NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL. SHE’S ALSO A BOARD CERTIFIED
ANESTHESIOLOGIST.
ANESTHESIOLOGIST. DR. HILL, I KNOW YOU’RE VERY
BUSY, THANK YOU FOR TAKING SOME
TIME FOR US.
EXCUSE ME FOR HAVING TO SCREAM
OVER THE WIND AND SCREAM OVER
OUR DISTANCE.
OUR DISTANCE. WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN HERE
ROUGHLY THIS TIME TOMORROW, THE
PATIENTS WHO COME HERE, WHAT CAN
THEY EXPECT?
THEY EXPECT? >> SO ROUGHLY TOMORROW WE’LL BE
OPENING UP THE RYAN LARKEN FIELD
HOSPITAL AND ACCEPTING OUR FIRST
PATIENTS.
PATIENTS. THESE WILL BE COVID PATIENTS WHO
ARE ADMITTED FOR ONGOING
HOSPITAL CARE, MEDICAL/SURGICAL
LEVEL CARE WHERE THEY WILL
REQUIRE ONGOING SUPPLEMENTAL
OXYGEN, IN ADDITION TO ALL OF
THEIR CHRONIC MEDICATIONS.
SO WE ARE OUTFITTED HERE TO BE
ABLE TO ACCEPT UP TO 216 OF
THOSE PATIENTS.
THOSE PATIENTS. AND WE WILL BE RAMPING UP OVER
THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
>> I UNDERSTAND THAT, AGAIN, THE
PATIENTS WHO WILL BE COMING HERE
ARE EXHIBITING MILD TO MODERATE
SYMPTOMS.
SYMPTOMS. WHAT CONSTITUTES MILD TO
MODERATE AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN
IF SOMEONE CAME HERE WITH THOSE
SYMPTOMS BUT WHILE THEY WERE
HERE THEY TOOK A TURN, SO TO
SPEAK?
SPEAK? >> SO MILD TO MODERATE SYMPTOMS,
IT’S A SPECTRUM.
SO MILD SYMPTOMS MIGHT BE MILD
SHORTNESS OF BREATH, REQUIRING
LOW LEVELS OF SUPPLEMENTAL
OXYGEN, ALL THE WAY UP TO
PATIENTS WHO REQUIRE HIGHER
LEVELS OF OXYGEN, MAYBE A LITTLE
MORE SHORTNESS OF BREATH.
THEY NEED CLOSER MONITORING,
CLOSER MEDICAL ATTENTION.
SO WE ANTICIPATE HAVING THE
ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF PATIENTS
WITHIN THAT RANGE.
PATIENTS WHO REQUIRE CRITICAL
CARE, LEVELS OF CARE, WILL BE
CARED FOR DOWN AT OUR COLUMBIA
UNIVERSITY IRVING MEDICAL
CENTER.
CENTER. THAT’S WHERE WE ALSO HAVE A
FIELD HOSPITAL SET UP WITHIN THE
HOSPITAL TO HELP EXPAND OUR
CAPACITY FOR CRITICALLY ILL
PATIENTS.
PATIENTS. >> DR. HILL AS WE’RE HAVING THIS
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. LET’S SHOW FOLKS AGAIN THE
VOLUNTEERS AS THEY’RE HAVING, I
GUESS DR. HILL WHAT WOULD
CONSTITUTE, A LAST-MINUTE STAFF
MEETING, A LAST-MINUTE TRAINING
MEETING.
MEETING. 90%, OR ROUGHLY SO, FORMER
MILITARY WHO VOLUNTEERED TO COME
IN FROM ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY TO
HELP IN OUR TIME OF NEED HERE IN
NEW YORK CITY.
WHAT IS THAT GOING TO MEAN FOR
THE KIND OF CARE THAT THESE
PATIENTS CAN EXPECT TO RECEIVE?
>> THEY WILL RECEIVE THE SAME
KIND OF EXCELLENT CARE THAT
THEY’VE -- THAT WE DELIVER AT
NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN.
THESE ARE, AS YOU SAID, ARE
MILITARY VETERANS, FORMER ACTIVE
DUTY AND THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO
PROVIDE HEALTH CARE IN REALLY
AUSTERE CONDITIONS, UNDER
DURESS.
DURESS. AND SO THE RESPONSE FROM THESE
INDIVIDUALS TO COME SUPPORT US
AND HELP US WITH THIS ENDEAVOR
HAS JUST TRULY BEEN YAWAWE
INSPIRING.
INSPIRING. THIS WILL LARGELY BE UNDER THE
COMMAND OF DR. MELISSA GIVENS
AND HER CHIEF NURSING OFFICER
DR. KATE KEMPLETT, THEY’RE HERE
TO SUPPORT THE MEDICS,
PHYSICIANS AND NURSES IN
TRAINING BEHIND US.
>> TO BE CLEAR THIS IS GOING TO
BE OPEN NOT FOR FOLKS WHO WALK
IN OFF THE STREET WITH SYMPTOMS,
THESE ARE FOLKS WHO ARE COMING
IN FROM NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN
HOSPITALS, TO BE CLEAR.
>> YES, THESE ARE PATIENTS,
CRAIG, THAT WILL BE COMING
EITHER THROUGH OUR EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENTS OR MAYBE COMING IN
FROM OUR HOSPITAL LOCATIONS, OUR
BRICK AND MORTAR HOSPITALS WHEN
THEY ARE RECOVERING FROM
CRITICAL ILLNESS, FOR EXAMPLE,
THOSE MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE
CANDIDATES TO CONTINUE THEIR
HOSPITALIZATION AND THEIR
RECOVERY FROM THE COVID SYMPTOMS
COULD BE RIGHT HERE IN THIS
PARTICULAR LOCATION.