During March and April when the coronavirus pandemic was raging, dedicated nurses from all over the country trained in various specialties traveled to New York hospitals to help.
Health care officials at Richmond University Medical Center expressed their gratitude to nearly 80 of those nurses last week, hailing them as frontline heroes as they begin to make their way back to their native states.
The West Brighton health care facility even hosted a “grab and go” breakfast early that morning as nurses arrived for their 7 a.m. shift or left after completing their overnight duties.
“Providing breakfast is a small token of our appreciation for the dedication and commitment shown by these professionals, some of whom came from as far away as California, Oklahoma, Washington state and even Canada,” Daniel J. Messina, president and chief executive officer said.
“Many of them will be leaving us shortly to return home, many to states that are seeing spikes of COVID-19 that rival what we faced just a few short weeks ago. I am hopeful that these men and women who came when we needed them most remain safe and can also take what they learned here, apply it in their own hospitals, and save lives.”
The nurses were assigned to RUMC to provide support during the height of the pandemic. RUMC admitted its first COVID-19 patient on March 14 and just three weeks later, the hospital would reach its high point of COVID-19 inpatients with 210 admitted.
In addition to providing weeks of support in RUMC’s emergency department and Intensive Care Units, the nurses were also assigned to various other departments to provide assistance including Labor and Delivery.
“Many of them have been away from their homes and families since early March working various assignments throughout the New York City area,” chief nurse officer and chief operating officer Rosemarie Stazzone said. “They came to us at a critical time. Their professionalism and enthusiasm to be a part of our RUMC team was truly a bright spot during one of the most difficult and challenging times on our hospital’s history.”
As of June 29, RUMC’s coronavirus inpatient population was down to 10 patients. The hospital has treated and discharged more than 1,200 COVID-19 patients since the pandemic began.
Earlier in June, the hospital opened its comprehensive Post COVID-19 Care Center at 288 Kissel Ave. in Randall Manor to provide recovered COVID-19 individuals with continuous medical care to help them with their short-term and long-term recovery needs.