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Help Support Our Frontline Heroes

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Imagine working in an ER with a square footage smaller than some people's homes, and managing to fit over 100 ill patients in there at once. This was a reality... before COVID-19.  I'm a senior Emergency Medicine Resident Physician in East Brooklyn, NY. My colleagues and I have been on the front line of the coronavirus response the past couple weeks.  The mood in the ER is somber. People are no longer cracking as many jokes. There is a feeling of impending doom. We are all worried about each other since healthcare workers seem to get sicker once they contract it. We see the news of other ER doctors landing in the ICU  themselves after taking care of patients. We worry for our mentors, our older colleagues. I’ve seen my fellow colleagues go from having a smile all day a few weeks ago to barely being able to force a weak grin.  But they still come to work every day. They still put on a brave face. Physicians who work 14 hours straight without breaks, even though they're only scheduled for 12. Nurses who go through a whole shift realizing they never took a couple seconds to go to the bathroom or drink some water. Medical directors and Administrators who I have not seen leave the hospital once since this all started.  As healthcare professionals, we understand you're scared. We understand you're angry. We are too. It's painful when a 30-year-old ER resident has to intubate (place on a breathing machine) a 30-year-old COVID-19 positive patient who comes in to the ER seconds from death. It’s not normal for us to have to intubate 1 new patient nearly every hour of our shifts. But we can turn this around. We can make a difference before it gets worse.  A lot of people have been asking me what they could do to help. Here are a few ways you can make a difference and help us. 1. Donate to this GoFundMe, or donate to your local ER/Hospital. Times are tough for everyone. Times are even tougher to those on the front line.  A lot of people have asked me how they can make a donation/send food&supplies to help us during our shifts. So I thought I could streamline the process by making this GoFundMe. 100% of donations here will be used to buy food/coffee from local businesses/restaurants to deliver to the ER staff (doctors, nurses, techs, therapists, janitorial workers) during shifts, as well as to buy more critical supplies for staff (see #2). Small gestures like this can make a huge difference when you're working in the stressful ER environment. And it has the added benefit of supporting local businesses who are struggling as well. (Once the donations reach the goal, I will reach out to other Brooklyn and NYC hospitals to support them with the funds as well.)  2.  For those of you who bought n95s, hand sanitizer, gowns, gloves, and sanitizing wipes before all of this happened-- from one entrepreneur to another, I applaud you. From one human being to another, however, I urge you to donate your supplies to your local hospital. You do not need a respirator mask at home. Your doctors, nurses, midlevels, respiratory therapists, and hospital staff are in desperate need for them. A doctor shouldn't have to take care of a patient wearing a bandana . Not only does a bandana not work , do you really want your doctor wearing a bandana when he/she comes to examine you?  3. Stay home. Stay home. Stay home.  Don't come to the ER for a test. If you have mild symptoms, we will likely be unable to test you and we will likely tell you to go home and self-quarantine. You increase your chance of getting COVID if you come to the ER. Come if your symptoms are worsening. Call if you're unsure. Otherwise, please stay at home-- keep both you and us safe. 4. Call your politicians. We need more tests. We need more PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). We need more ventilators (breathing machines). Sign the petition . 5. Do not take chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine without discussing this with your doctor. Despite what has been said, chloroquine is not a harmless drug, has numerous interactions with other medications (notably azithromycin), and there are already cases being reported of people overdosing . 6. This isn't a time for politics or anger. This is a time to be family and look out for one another. Call your neighbors. Call your family. Call your friend. Be there for each other without physically being there.  As ER doctors, we have been there for your heart attacks, for your asthma exacerbations, for your acute appendicitis. We have been there for your worst days. We have held your hand and cried with you when we had to tell you we weren't able to revive a loved one, despite working on them for hours and hours. We have hugged you when we were able to stabilize your loved ones who were on the brink of death. We have been there for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Now I ask you, will you be there for us?

Donations 

  • hiip SF
    • $250 
    • 4 yrs
  • hiip SF
    • $750 
    • 4 yrs
  • compton Dodson
    • $50 
    • 4 yrs
  • Leyli Shayan
    • $50 
    • 4 yrs
  • Cindy Lindenbaum
    • $20 
    • 4 yrs

Organizer

Bryan Pezeshki
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY

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