SYRACUSE — For the third time in as many weeks, Upstate University Hospital has sent a group of nurses to Stony Brook University Hospital to aid that facility in its care of ill COVID-19 patients. The group of 13 intensive-care unit nurses departed the hospital on the morning of April 28, “for what is expected […]
SYRACUSE — For the third time in as many weeks, Upstate University Hospital has sent a group of nurses to Stony Brook University Hospital to aid that facility in its care of ill COVID-19 patients.
The group of 13 intensive-care unit nurses departed the hospital on the morning of April 28, “for what is expected to be a two-week stay,” Upstate Medical University announced.
“I am truly humbled by the efforts of our Stony Brook teams — and the efforts of our health care teams here at home,” Nancy Page, Upstate’s chief nursing officer, said in a statement. “The teams, wherever they are caring for patients, most certainly define ‘Upstate Strong.’ ”
Stony Brook University Hospital has been a “key facility” in the treatment of COVID patients on Long Island, Upstate said.
“We know Stony Brook needs support for its nurses and other professionals and we are proud to be able to send teams of our talented staff to our sister hospital,” Dr. Robert Corona, CEO of Upstate University Hospital, added.
The first team from Upstate left for Stony Brook April 9 and included 22 nurses. The second wave of Upstate staffers departed for Stony Brook April 21. That group of 20 included nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy techs, and respiratory therapists.
With this latest group of 13, Upstate has now sent 55 employees to assist another SUNY campus in COVID-19 patient care.
When Upstate asked for volunteers to help at Stony Brook, “many” raised their hands, according to Page.
Emery House, one of the first nurses to head to Stony Brook, said the experience was “beneficial for all.”
“For us it wasn’t a matter of why go there, but why not. We found this to be a mutual beneficial situation for the staff at Stony Brook as well as us,” House said in a Health Link on Air podcast. “We knew they were in pretty desperate need for help and it was certainly not going to hurt us to go and learn more about this disease.”
House said she was “grateful” for all the support and well wishes from both Stony Brook personnel and Upstate staff related to her visit downstate.