Page 42 - 2021 Queens Economic Development Guide

NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
Top: NYP Queens is located
on Main St. in Flushing. Opposite: CEO Jaclyn Mucaria wants the hospital to evolve as a center of knowledge, health screenings, education,
and partnership.
Caring for Our Neighbors
NewYork-Presbyterian Queens CEO Jaclyn Mucaria shares lWessons learned in the wake of COVID-19.
ith our the influx of emergency cases at borough the NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
at the hospital, the staff set up a tent epicenter outside the emergency department
of the to screen patients. Toward the end of initial the first wave, we even had to convert
COVID-19 outbreak, Jaclyn Mucaria, the cafeteria into a space for 20 beds president of NewYork-Presbyterian just to add more capacity. We set up
Queens, navigated one of the most challenging periods of her career. Here, she shares the hospital’s COVID response and the support it received from the Queens community.
What were some of the initial steps taken early on to address the pandemic?
We urgently needed to make space for more beds. At one point, about one in every five patients needed
ICU beds, which meant converting recovery and procedure rooms and other spaces into mini-ICUs. To handle
a command center in the boardroom that was staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
COVID took a heavy toll on healthcare workers. How did you care for staff?
We set up recharge rooms so the staff could unwind from the stress. We also set up pick up and drop off hotel accommodations for people who did not want to go home and risk spreading the virus to their families. We also provided mental health resources for our team, as it was such
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QUEENS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE
© Courtesy of NewYork-Presbyterian Queens