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NYC’s hospitals are overflowing. Every day more covid-19 patients are being admitted. And too few are being discharged.
It’s not that patients aren’t getting better. It’s that as they come out of ICU, hospitals simply have no place to send them.
This needs to be fixed. 1/
It’s not that patients aren’t getting better. It’s that as they come out of ICU, hospitals simply have no place to send them.
This needs to be fixed. 1/
Covid patients who no longer need acute care are usually not well enough to go home right away. They may still need oxygen. They likely still need nursing support.
So they remain in hospitals that increasingly have nowhere to put them, continuing to tax overwhelmed staff. 2/
So they remain in hospitals that increasingly have nowhere to put them, continuing to tax overwhelmed staff. 2/
The solution? We need step-down facilities outside of hospitals that can offer an intermediate level of care for patients not yet well enough to go home.
Here’s where we should do this:
3/
Here’s where we should do this:
3/
The USNS Comfort & the Javits Center Army field hospital have 2k beds combined. The original plan was they would take only NON-covid patients.
That won’t work. The virus is everyone now. (Even people coming into hospitals from car crashes are found to have it.) 4/
That won’t work. The virus is everyone now. (Even people coming into hospitals from car crashes are found to have it.) 4/
We need Comfort & Javits to accept covid patients--specifically those coming out of hospital ICUs.
The feds are worried about their staff getting the virus. But this is wartime. And they have ample supply of personal protective gear (more than hospital staff in fact). 5/
The feds are worried about their staff getting the virus. But this is wartime. And they have ample supply of personal protective gear (more than hospital staff in fact). 5/
Next, we should turn some community-based health centers (aka “FQHCs”) into step-down facilities.
These centers are located in the low-income neighbs hit hardest by the virus. They’re being underutilized now. But they have the staff/beds to support recovering covid patients. 6/
These centers are located in the low-income neighbs hit hardest by the virus. They’re being underutilized now. But they have the staff/beds to support recovering covid patients. 6/
Finally, let’s make use of the massive # of vacant hotel rooms in NYC--at least 80k!
These would be perfect for those patients who need little continuing care but are not well enough to return to “congregant settings” in NYC, like homeless shelters, group homes, etc. 7/
These would be perfect for those patients who need little continuing care but are not well enough to return to “congregant settings” in NYC, like homeless shelters, group homes, etc. 7/
To recap: NYC’s hospitals need to be turned into a giant ICU for covid. They can’t do this *and* care for those on the road to recovery. We need to mobilize every asset we can in this city to take on non-acute covid patients. Even if the politics of that will be tough. 8/8
