Utah, New York Hospitals Announce Medical Staff Swap For COVID-19 Response

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Two teams of 50 medical workers and caregivers from Intermountain Healthcare will travel to New York to assist two hospitals with their coronavirus response.

In return, doctors from New York will be deployed to Utah when the COVID-19 response hits its peak.

The program would take more medical professionals to an area hit hardest by the spread of the virus.

Medical workers with @Intermountain will be headed to New York City to help hospitals with coronavirus cases. In return, when we hit our peak in Utah, those New York hospitals will send medical workers to Utah to help us. We’re putting together a story on this for @KSL5TV.

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) April 11, 2020

The first of two teams of 50 doctors, nurses, physician assistants, respiratory therapists and others will leave on April 14. The deployment date for the second team was not available.

Teams will be made up of people who volunteered for the assignment and will serve at two New York hospitals – Northwell Health in Manhattan, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

They will work in New York for no more than 14 days.

“I’m incredibly proud that so many of our caregivers want to help others in need, and we have the capacity right now to share our staff with others in the middle of their COVID-19 surge,” said Intermountain Healthcare’s chief medical officer for specialty-based care, Dr. Paul Krakovitz. “Not only will they provide care for patients in New York, they will bring back knowledge and experience to share with their Utah colleagues that will help us serve Utah patients.”

Dr. Dixie Harris will be going to NYC to help with relief efforts. She said the Utah medical workers and caregivers will be staying in a hotel located between the two New York hospitals.

“I’m looking for it to be hard work and that’s what I’m mentally preparing for,” she said. “I’m going to be as vigilant as I possibly can.”

They will be fed and provided with medical equipment including scrubs and PPEs from the New York health crews. Harris also said she will be social distancing herself from the other nurses.

Dr. Dixie Harris is one of the @Intermountain doctors who vilunteered to go to NYC. She says this is what caregivers are supposed to do; help. She trained during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980’s. She is happy to help with this #coronavirus pandemic. pic.twitter.com/wIAIKhoOLA

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) April 11, 2020

“Whenever we have a new disease coming to an area, the people who are on the ground learn the most,” Harris said. “Then we quickly spread (that information).”

She said she is expecting for the entire New York hospitals to be filled with COVID-19 patients, something she hasn’t experienced first-hand here in Utah. With local hospitals holding back on elective surgeries, there have been fewer patients filling up hospital beds which has allowed Intermountain to spare these medical workers and caregivers.

Dr. Harris says she will be as vigilant as possible to stay safe. She looks at it as they’re coming in healthy to help the NYC doctors who have been on this nearly 24/7. pic.twitter.com/W2jpiKxd00

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) April 11, 2020

Harris said the only virus we have overcome is smallpox. She continued by saying the coronavirus will be with us, but health workers hope to get to a time where it’s not affecting so many people all at once.

“This is what care providers do and this is what we are called to do,” she said.

It was expected that the New York hospitals would send medical caregivers to Utah during the Beehive State’s COVID-19 surge. In a release sent Saturday, Intermountain Healthcare said some experts were predicting the state’s peak in May or June.

New York is expected to be on the downslope of their peak by then. 

“We anticipate that we as well during the crisis will need caregivers,” Krakovitz said.

Intermountain doctors, nurses, medical workers and respiratory specialists will also learn valuable knowledge of dealing with coronavirus patients in a challenging environment. 

“You can read all the textbooks you want and listen to podcasts, but the reality is we learn the most by being there,” Krakovitz said. “We expect that as our teams come back, that they will come back with a lot of firsthand knowledge that will only make our care better for the patients of Utah.”

For medical workers, it’s about taking care of each other, in addition to patients.

“They have been working 24/7 for days, so they’re tired,” said Harris. “Their immune systems are down, so this is a good time for us to go help them.”

Harris, who trained during the AIDS epidemic in Atlanta, also said they will take every precaution possible and they’re used to working with infectious patients.

There is always a risk, but it’s one they’re willing to take.

“This virus will be with us. Hopefully, we’ll be able to manage it,” she said. “Hopefully, we can mitigate it, like we have for the fly. We’ve never cured the flu, so we hope to get to a time where it’s not infecting as many people all at once.”

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Coronavirus Resources

• Have you or a family member been affected by coronavirus issues in Utah? KSL TV wants to hear from you. Contact KSL by emailing social@ksl.com.
• What is COVID-19? Here’s What You Need To Know To Stay Healthy
• What We Know And Don’t Know About The Coronavirus
• Four Common Coronavirus Questions Answered
• The latest coronavirus stories from KSL TV can be found at our Staying Safe: Coronavirus section.
• Your Life Your Health: How can parents prepare their home, children against coronavirus?

How Do I Prevent It?

The CDC has some simple recommendations, most of which are the same for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:

• Avoid close contact with people who may be sick
• Avoid touching your face
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

How To Get Help

If you’re worried you may have COVID-19, you can contact the Utah Coronavirus Information Line at 1-800-456-7707 to speak to trained healthcare professionals. You can also use telehealth services through your healthcare providers.

Additional Resources

If you see evidence of PRICE GOUGING, the Utah Attorney General’s Office wants you to report it. Common items in question include toilet paper, water, hand sanitizer, certain household cleaners, and even cold medicine and baby formula. Authorities are asking anyone who sees price gouging to report it to the Utah Division of Consumer Protection at 801-530-6601 or 800-721-7233. The division can also be reached by email at consumerprotection@utah.gov.