In an effort to support fellow health care workers battling coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 30 Northwell Health nurses answered the call to deploy to Utah to support Intermountain Healthcare.
Speaking via Zoom, three intensive care unit (ICU) nurses — representing Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park and Southside Hospital in Bay Shore – were in unanimous agreement that pitching in to assist their colleagues in support of both COVID-19 and non-COVID patients was the right thing to do.
Andrew Roberts, the project manager for emergency deployment at Northwell, said the 30 deployed agreed to work at Intermountain Medical Center over a six-week period – in groups of 10 over two-week deployments.
“Last April, when we were in the epicenter of the COVID outbreak, Intermountain deployed two COVID-19 response teams of 100 staff members to assist New York hospitals,” Mr. Roberts said. “Clearly, now that the surge has subsided in New York, it’s our time to return the favor. These 30 people left their homes, their families, and their friends. As ICU nurses, they all possess a very specialized set of skills. We are so grateful to them and so proud.”
The three nurses who spoke today from Utah are:
- Madison Montague, RN, cardiothoracic ICU, Lenox Hill Hospital;
- Jeffrey Rosa, RN, surgical ICU, LIJ Medical Center;
- Shereyah Barbera, RN, ICU, Southside Hospital.
Mr. Rosa expressed the feelings of the group best when he said, “In April, during the peak of COVID-19 in New York, we were so overwhelmed with incredibly sick and unstable patients. We saw so many patients take their last breath. These heroes here from Intermountain were among the first I saw that answered the call and came to our aid when we needed it the most. It was one of the most selfless acts I think I have ever witnessed. When the call came for volunteers, we knew we had to return the favor.”
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