A New York City doctor was given a Yankees poncho to use as protective equipment in a sign of how desperate hospitals are becoming. ...
A New York City doctor was given a Yankees poncho to use as protective equipment in a sign of how desperate hospitals are becoming.
Rachel Meislin Tweeted a photo of the baseball merchandise that she was told to wear as protective equipment on her shift at Montefiore Hospital.
Rachel Meislin, 33, Tweeted a photo of the baseball merchandise that she was told to wear as protective equipment on her shift at Montefiore Hospital.
The ob gyn doctor wrote: ‘I’m a physician at a hospital in NYC and THIS IS THE “PPE” I WAS JUST HANDED for my shift. Our federal government has completely failed its health care workers. #GetUsPPE’.
The Tweet appears to be referring to the Yankees stadium poncho that sells for $14.99 on the MLB.com website
A lightweight version sells for $4.99.
The poncho is made of PVC and is 52 inches wide by 86 inches tall and has a hood.
But it offers nowhere near the level of protection needed for front line health staff.
The description of the poncho reads: ‘You've always been a dedicated New York Yankees fan, but now you can cheer through the rain when you have this Stadium poncho on hand.
The ob gyn doctor wrote: ‘I’m a physician at a hospital in NYC and THIS IS THE “PPE” I WAS JUST HANDED for my shift. Our federal government has completely failed its health care workers. #GetUsPPE’.
‘Show your commitment when others leave as you continue cheering on the New York Yankees at the game’.
The extraordinary image shows the lengths to which some hospitals have gone to protect their staff amid nationwide shortages of gowns, masks and respirators.
As of Monday more than 800 patients were in the Montefiore system across multiple hospitals in New York state - 381 of women were at their facility in the Bronx.
Nurses have described apocalyptic scenes there with dead bodies being put in freezer trucks out the back and up to five patients dying every ER shift.
Nurses at another hospital in New York have resorted to using trash bags to protect themselves - a worker there died from the coronavirus.
Meislin studied at the New York University School of Medicine and get her BA at the University of Pennsylvania.
In a recent Facebook post she shared a post from a co-resident and said: ‘If you have any masks to spare please message me!
‘We are on the frontlines and running dangerously low as we continue to deliver babies and perform emergent GYN surgeries’.
Meislin’s Tweet about the poncho was shared more than 124,000 times and the comments spoke of shock and disgust.
Lesley McCarthy Tweeted: ‘This is OUTRAGEOUS and UNACCEPTABLE’
Kris Starbird Tweeted: ‘Are you freakin kidding!? And he's (Trump) talking about sending MORE equipment overseas?! What happened to his "America First?’’
Staff at Montefiore are currently in mourning after the death of one of their colleagues from the coronavirus, a pioneering pediatric neurosurgeon who separated the conjoined McDonald twins in 2016.
Dr. James Goodrich died from complications related to the respiratory virus and had worked at Montefiore for 30 years.
The hospital said in a statement that Dr Goodrich, who was in his 70s, was a ‘humble and truly caring man’ who ‘dedicated his life to saving children’
In 2016 Dr Goodrich led a team of 40 doctors during the 27-hour procedure to separate 13-month old Anias and JadonMcDonald twins who were joined at the head.
No comments