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to the community, including Rutgers students. In addition, the department disseminated state and national call line resources to employees.
Video visits also were key in the ED, where a telemedicine robot armed with a stethoscope, camera, and temperature scanner collected clinical data in a tent outside the department. That data was then in- terpreted by an emergency physician inside the hospital. Dr. Eisenstein says now that his team has seen the benefits of incorporating telemedicine into their practice, they are discussing how it can be leveraged to triage patients during future surges.
Medical Students Volunteer to Support Clinicians and the Community
From dog walking to grocery runs to coordinating PPE donations, medical students supported providers,
patients, and the community during the crisis. The COVID-19 Medical Student Task Force identified needs within the system and mobilized
students to address them. Activities included donating blood, coordinating donations, and developing a data- base of students with clinical experi- ence, such as emergency medical services (EMS) and phlebotomy. They also created a database of volunteers who could assist clinical faculty and staff with day-to-day tasks such as helping their children with homework.
A Look toward the Future
While clinical practices located in New Brunswick continued to see patients for essential services throughout the pandemic, satellite practices were closed until May, when they began to reopen as part
of a phased-in approach.
Having a medical school attached to an academic health center, according to Dr. Radovick, puts RWJMS in the advantageous position of being able to gather and analyze data collected during the crisis and share that insight with other institu- tions across the globe.
‘Hero’ banners were hung out in all the medical school’s clinical areas, including the Eric B. Chandler Health Center (left).
A challenge for both organizations will be rescheduling the more than 1,000 elective surgeries that were postponed during the crisis. Combined with surgical cases that hadn’t been booked before the crisis and patients who had been delaying care, it’s anticipated that it will take weeks—possibly months—of a 24/7 operating room schedule to meet the demand for surgery, according to
Dr. Lee. And Dr. Radovick worries about the long-term effects of isolation, disruptions in income, delays in care, and interruptions in children’s schooling.
But adversity often breeds excel- lence; the medical school’s leadership is confident they will be prepared for whatever comes their way.
“This situation made both entities recognize just how much we need each other,” Dr. Wondisford says. “The medical school was key to the hospital’s response. We feel like it’s our hospital, too. When we pull together, we can do extraordinary things. We’re better together.” M
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