36 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • APRIL 2, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
City sends additional personnel
and supplies to Elmhurst Hospital
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e city launched a surge of critical supplies
REUTERS/Stefan Jeremiah
People wait in line to be tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while wearing protective gear outside Elmhurst Hospital Center on March 25, 2020.
Queensboro FC founder arranges shipment of surgical masks for Elmhurst Hospital
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Council Member Francisco Moya and
Queensboro Football Club founding partner
Courtesy Moya’s offi ce
Councilman Francisco Moya with KranShares head of marketing Joe Dube delivering shipment of
surgical masks to Elmhurst Hospital.
Jonathan Krane donated 1,000 surgical
masks to NYC Health + Hospitals/
Elmhurst as the hospital faced signifi cant
shortages of protective equipment due to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Queensboro FC will be Queens’ own
professional men’s soccer team when it
begins play in the United Soccer League
beginning in 2021.
“Healthcare professionals are on the
front line of this crisis and we need to
make sure they’re able to suit up for
that fi ght,” said Moya, who also previously
worked at NYC Health + Hospitals/
Elmhurst as the director of business
development. “Doctors, nurses and hospital
staff are the heroes of this moment.
We need to make every eff ort, big and
small, to get them the armor they need to
stay in the fi ght.”
Last week, NYC Health + Hospitals/
Elmhurst CEO Israel Rocha reached out
to Moya to request help with the facility’s
shortage of personal protective equipment.
Moya contacted Krane, the founding
partner and CEO of KraneShares, a
New York-based asset management fi rm,
who managed to use his business contacts
in China to secure the critical face masks.
“We will do everything in our power to
support Queens during this crisis and every
day aft er,” Krane said. “Th ank you to the
front line heroes. All of us at Queensboro
FC and across the city are deeply grateful
for your work and sacrifi ces.”
When Krane announced he was building
the team in Queens last November,
he vowed to work closely with the community
and “accomplish great things on
and off the pitch.” Helping healthcare professionals
at this diffi cult time is greatly
appreciated.
“On behalf of our patients and healthcare
providers, I want to thank Mr. Krane
and Council member Francisco Moya for
their generous and much-needed donation
of medical masks to help us cope with supply
challenges during this unprecedented
pandemic,” Rocha said. “Th e outpouring of
support we have received from community
members and our elected offi cials has been
truly inspiring and has warmed our hearts
during an extremely diffi cult time.”
Moya and Krane are working to secure
additional shipments of masks from
China for donations at area hospitals.
and resources to Elmhurst Hospital,
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday.
Th e hospital became the epicenter of
the coronavirus pandemic last week as 13
patients died of COVID-19 during one
24-hour period.
“Elmhurst and our NYC Health +
Hospital system are at the center of this
epidemic,” de Blasio said. “We’re in a state
of war, but we cannot go to battle without
ammunition. To those who are on the
frontlines: your city is behind you, and
more help is on the way.”
Th e city added 169 clinicians, a combination
of registered nurses, nurse practitioners,
physician assistants and physicians, to assist
Elmhurst staff . Additionally, 45 clinicians
have been reassigned from outpatient to
inpatient for additional reinforcements.
“Th e bottom line is the incredibly valiant
team at Elmhurst has gone through
so much in the last few weeks,” de Blasio
said. “Th at’s an extraordinarily eff ective
hospital. Real professionals who have
found a way to keep saving so many lives
while dealing with such pain at the same
time and real loss. And this is why I want
to see medical personnel come in, not just
from New York City, but from all over
the country, including those military and
medical personnel. Because we have to
give these extraordinary heroes a break at
places like Elmhurst.”
Th e city has also resupplied the hospital’s
number of ventilators four times in 10
days, according to offi cials.
“Our intensive care units are about
three times as large as usual and still our
staff oft en using new equipment, working
with new colleagues who have never been
in that hospital before. People are learning
together. People are rising to the challenge,”
NYC Health + Hospitals President
and CEO Mitchell Katz said. “I want to be
clear that everyone who has needed a ventilator
has gotten a ventilator, the people
who need the protective equipment have
gotten the protective equipment.”
Offi cials added that the city has received
all 2,500 ventilators promised by the federal
government and are distributing
them to hospitals as needed. Th e city is
also distributing 250,000 masks donated
by the United Nations to help protect
health care workers.
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