Dear Neighbor,
Our nurses, physicians and staff have been touched and gratified by the outpouring of support from the Huntington community. We thank you for this and for your ongoing expressions of generosity and solidarity. We are here for you, and we are in this together. Here are some updates.
We are pleased to tell you that new COVID-19 cases at Huntington Hospital have been declining over the past two weeks. At the same time, we remain at a level of high alert, with more than 50 patients requiring critical care services for their corononavirus infection and its complications. Our clinical staff is continuing to devote exceptional energy, skill and care to this battle.
At the same time, our emergency department (ED) visits have declined dramatically, and we are pleased to report that most patients coming in recently do NOT have the COVID-19 infection. The takeaway: do NOT avoid emergency care if you need it. We are hearing of cases where stroke symptoms and other serious health issues have been neglected because people are afraid to come to a hospital. Please understand that we have configured our ED to assure immediate isolation of suspected cases and a safe pathway for all of our patients.
We also want you to know that your hospital is an active partner in the national effort to learn as much as we can as fast as we can about SARS CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19. A number of our physicians, working under the auspices of Northwell’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, are investigators in important multi-center studies. Such research studies will help define the best approaches to treating this condition and supporting patients in a way to maximize survival and quality of life.
Finally, we ask you to continue to adhere to New York State and national guidance about social distancing, hand hygiene and mask use. Together, we will beat COVID-19.
Most sincerely,
Nick Fitterman
Executive Director, Huntington Hospital