“UPMC’s just reached out to help some of our partners in New York City, where they have a deluge of patients in critical care,” said Dr. Don Yealy, UPMC Emergency Medicine Chair.
UPMC is keeping its doctors in Western Pennsylvania to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’re in the process of helping ICUs remotely – using “tele-applications.”
That partnership is expected to begin soon, with a UPMC spokesperson saying they will release more details next week. But that doesn’t mean doctors can’t act on their own.
"Most ER volumes are pretty low right now, at least in the state. But we have been seeing an uptick in the amount of sick COVID patients that require ICU-level care," said Dr. Shawn Quinn, President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
The organization is helping recruit available physicians, and he expects some of those in Pennsylvania will soon be making their way to New York City.
One of the models tracking the coronavirus pandemic predicted this would be the week for the biggest strain on local hospital resources. Today, Dr. Yealy said he's not overly concerned, adding there's enough personal protective equipment, beds and ventilators if a spike does occur.
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