By GREGORY ZELLER //
Northwell Health has opened a new front in the Ukraine War, running straight through New Hyde Park.
With invading Russian forces pushing across Ukraine’s eastern border, Northwell has its planes in the air – or, more specifically, its satellites, beaming down critical support to frontline regions in the form of telemedicine services.
In cooperation with Ukrainian government officials, Northwell’s Center for Global Health is launching telemedicine platforms linked to multiple undisclosed Ukrainian health centers, providing real-time consultations and more to overwhelmed providers in regions where intense fighting has wounded thousands and displaced millions.
The telemedicine effort follows a February alignment with Doctors Without Borders, through which the Long Island-based healthcare system – New York’s largest by number of providers and number of patients – raised more than $210,000 in donations and 18,000 pounds of medical supplies for the Ukrainian government.
Eric Cioe-Peña: Doing everything they can.
Short of sending doctors and nurses to the front lines, Northwell is doing everything it can to assist the people and medical professionals of war-torn Ukraine, according to Center for Global Health Director Eric Cioe-Peña.
“Our main objective during this crisis has been to be thoughtful to our approach and to do what’s sustainable and immediately needed,” Cioe-Peña said, with special attention paid to not “duplicat[ing] and compet[ing] with the sustainable efforts already in place.”
And sending brave healthcare professionals into danger zones is not always the best solution, he noted.
“We’ve learned from our work in other parts of the world – sometimes, sending personnel isn’t always the most effective, because of the limited number of people you can send and the logistics it takes to get them there,” Cioe-Peña said.
All of which makes telemedicine the best option for a bad situation. Slated to roll out in two phases, the new telehealth network will provide everything from round-the-clock surgical consultations to live support for Ukrainian field clinicians caring for wounded soldiers and civilians.
The first phase will funnel incoming requests to on-call Northwell providers via laptops, tablets and other personal mobile devices. The second phase will introduce “medical grade/high fidelity telemedicine systems” to the mix, allowing U.S. providers to “collaborate on higher-level cases in the operating room [and] aid in combat trauma and other procedures,” according to Northwell.
Relief pitch: Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling and friends shipped material support to Ukraine in February.
“To be able to leverage the skills and talents of our entire health system at a moment’s notice can make all the difference in saving lives,” Cioe- Peña added.
After rising to meet the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dreadful Ukraine invasion is another opportunity for Northwell’s advanced telemedicine corps to flex its virtual muscle, according to Jonathan Berkowitz, medical director for Northwell’s Center for Emergency Medical Services.
“We’ve leveraged the versatility of our team during COVID and we see many of the same opportunities it can provide in this fight,” Berkowitz said in a statement. “We’re going to do it again and will adapt this platform to serve the greatest need in a variety of situations.
“This is a space where we’ve written the playbook.”
