SYRACUSE — As of April 14, Upstate University Hospital has sent 44 employees, in two groups of 22 each, to Stony Brook University Hospital on Long Island to help treat patients with COVID-19. The second group — which departed the hospital the morning of April 14 — included 12 nurses, two respiratory therapists, three pharmacists, […]
SYRACUSE — As of April 14, Upstate University Hospital has sent 44 employees, in two groups of 22 each, to Stony Brook University Hospital on Long Island to help treat patients with COVID-19.
The second group — which departed the hospital the morning of April 14 — included 12 nurses, two respiratory therapists, three pharmacists, and five pharmacy technicians, the hospital announced.
The pharmacists are needed to continue to sustain the core pharmacy services at Stony Brook University Hospital, such as mixing chemotherapy compounds, Upstate said. The pharmacists will also support Stony Brook’s sterile compounding needs, which includes such services as preparing intravenous fluids.
Pharmacy technicians will assist the hospital with drug delivery to patient floors. Respiratory therapists will be working in the intensive-care units.
Upstate University Hospital had already sent a group of 22 nurses on April 9 to help the staff at Stony Brook.
Dr. Robert Corona, president and CEO of Upstate University Hospital, said the top official at Stony Brook University Hospital on Long Island “made a call out for help.”
“They need staff badly. The call went to our nursing staff and we have a large [contingent] of nurses that are going to be heading downstate to help out with the Stony Brook initiative,” Corona said in remarks at the April 8 Onondaga County daily coronavirus briefing at the Oncenter.
Most of them will stay at Stony Brook University for two weeks. The Long Island university will provide food and lodging.
“They are getting overwhelmed right now with COVID-positive patients. They’re building a 1,000-bed hospital on their football field, and our nursing staff is going to go down there and support them, so I’m very, very happy about that,” Corona said.
Hospitals on Long Island along with the rest of the New York City area have been inundated with sick patients during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Upstate nurses who went to Stony Brook University Hospital are working alongside staff in intensive-care units with critically ill patients on ventilators and in the emergency department.
“There are fellow [registered nurses] from across our region who are also answering New York City and Long Island’s call. The passion for our patients and the passion for nursing’s profession is really the selfless driver of these incredible staff [members],” Nancy Page, chief nursing officer of Upstate University Hospital, said in remarks following Corona’s announcement at the Oncenter. “Upstate nurses come from across our emergency departments, from all of our intensive care units.”
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon praised the efforts of the nurses at Upstate University Hospital, both locally and those who’ve traveled to Stony Brook.
“We’re one state. What can we do to help? Upstate and Stony Brook have a proud history of helping each other, and certainly Long Island, when you look at what is happening in New York State, Long Island is really in a point of crisis right now,” said McMahon.