Here at New York Presbyterian Hospital Columbia, we are at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the USA. There have been many amazing things happening here but one of them is the conversion of 24 operating rooms into intensive care units, named the OR-ICU. Everything about the creation of this unit is nothing short of a miracle, and it was done in just 60 hours to be able to accommodate the huge influx of patients requiring ventilators and ICU care.

These OR-ICUs are led by our Critical Care Anesthesiologists and staffed by anesthesia residents, surgery residents, CRNAs, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, technicians, and nurses. During this crisis, resident work regulations have been suspended. We work 12+ hour shifts taking care of the sickest patients in the hospital. More and more patients are requiring the specialized care that we are able to provide them.

Many people ask us daily, "How can we help?" Food. We usually only have a few minutes to find some before running back to the OR-ICU. Food services are closed early and are abbreviated during these times, so we have to order food every night for about 40+ providers. As you can imagine, this can get very expensive, very fast. If you are able to donate to help us during these hectic times, we can spend more time taking care of the patients that need us so desperately.

All the money raised will be used to feed staff working to take care of patients around the clock.
Thank you so much for your support!

Fanny Yeung is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Allen Friedman.