Rehabilitation Medicine Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the globe at a rapid rate, affecting large numbers of individuals in different countries with varying healthcare systems and infrastructure. In the United States, New York City has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, and the peak impact in this region has come earlier in this location than most other parts of the country. We report our experience preparing for this pandemic in a New York City academic medical center and its regional healthcare system, the issues confronted during the rise and peak of the number of cases, and the plans for the postpeak recovery and adjustment to the new reality of providing rehabilitation in an environment where COVID-19 remains prevalent.

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1

Hospital and ICU census of COVID-19 patients in the New York-Presbyterian Hospital System.

Figure 2

Timeline of COVID-19 local outbreak and response at New York-Presbyterian (NYP) Hospital System.