In a very brief period, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept across the planet leaving governments, societies and healthcare systems unprepared and under-resourced. New York City now represents the global viral epicenter with roughly one third of all mortalities in the United States. To date, our hospital has treated thousands of COVID-19 positive patients and sits at the forefront of the United States response to this pandemic. The goal of this paper is to share the lessons learned by our spine division during a crisis when hospital resources and personnel are stretched thin. Such experiences include management of elective and emergent cases, outpatient clinics, physician redeployment and general health and wellness. As peak infections spread across the United States, we hope this article will serve as a resource for other spine departments on how to manage patient care and healthcare worker deployment during the COVID-19 crisis.
Addressing a National Crisis: The Spine Hospital and Department's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City