Q&A
Lessons learned about healthcare infrastructure from the COVID-19 pandemic
1:22:47
·
126 sec
Council Member Rivera inquires about the most important lessons regarding healthcare infrastructure in New York City learned from the pandemic. Dr. Morse and Dr. Iavicoli provide insights from their experiences and observations.
- Dr. Morse mentions an after-action report being published by the city and emphasizes the importance of response readiness for future disasters.
- SUNY Downstate's hospital preparedness program is highlighted as critical infrastructure for emergency preparedness.
- Dr. Iavicoli, speaking from her experience at Elmhurst during the pandemic, stresses that COVID-19 exposed significant gaps in public health due to disinvestment.
- The importance of New York City Health and Hospitals as the second-largest public health system in the U.S. is emphasized, particularly in serving uninsured and underinsured patients.
Carlina Rivera
1:22:47
So what are the most important lessons about healthcare infrastructure in New York City that were learned as a result of the pandemic?
Dr. Michelle Morse
1:22:57
I would say that there are a lot of learnings across the city.
1:23:01
There was an after action report from the pandemic that was that is being published or in the process of being published by the city that does scribes a lot of the learnings for the health department, the New York City health department specifically.
1:23:15
One of the things that we have been working on is response readiness, and that means that we have the infrastructure we need, whether it's related to respiratory viral season or other areas.
1:23:25
To make sure that we are prepared for future disasters, whether that's related to climate or pandemics or other things.
1:23:33
I will also comment that SUNY downstate specifically has a hospital preparedness program that we see as critical hospital readiness and emergency preparedness infrastructure for New York City.
1:23:45
And so that is also a noteworthy area of infrastructure.
1:23:49
And I will pass it to Doctor.
1:23:50
Yavacoli to share a little bit more from her perspective.
Laura Iavicoli
1:23:54
So I and I and emergency medicine, but also emergency management.
1:24:00
And I was at the helm of Elmhurst during wave 1 and then ran emergency management for the system, subsequent to that wave.
1:24:10
And I would say that COVID really highlighted that disinvestment in public health really made the cracks that were in public health into huge valleys, and we owe it to our communities to really invest in public health in the public health system.
1:24:30
Just to remind everybody that New York City Health And Hospitals is the 2nd largest public health system in the United States, 2nd to the VA, the largest municipal health system in the United States.
1:24:40
And Elmhurst itself within the system has the largest number of uninsured and underinsured patients.
1:24:46
And this is our mission to support our communities.
1:24:52
And
