SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 4, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Intermountain Healthcare is welcoming a team of 10 ICU nurses from New York’s Northwell Health system who are in Utah as part of a “collaborative partnership between two of the nation’s premier health systems,” officials said.
The aim of the partnership is “to assist each other and share best practices and protocols for the treatment and support of COVID-19 and non-COVID patients,” said a news release from Intermountain Healthcare.
“In April, Intermountain deployed two COVID-19 Response Teams totaling 100 caregivers to assist New York City-area hospitals during that state’s major surge of COVID-19 cases,” the news release said. “Those hospitals planned to return the favor when their surge subsided, which it now has.”
Although Utah is not currently experiencing a surge of COVID-19 patients, these highly trained ICU nurses from Northwell Health will support ICU teams at Intermountain Healthcare as they cross train and share best practices with one another while treating COVID-19 and non-COVID patients, the news release said.
Northwell Health has treated more than 70,000 COVID-19 patients during the height of the pandemic in New York, more than any other health system in the nation.
A total of about 30 Northwell nurses will come in several teams of 10 or so caregivers for two-week assignments and will work in the ICUs at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.
Visiting Northwell nurses will share their thoughts about why they wanted to come to Utah and work with Intermountain teams and clinicians. Intermountain clinical leaders from Utah will outline the work they’ll be doing and the sharing of knowledge to benefit patients and caregivers.
“We are excited to welcome our New York colleagues from Northwell Health,” said Heather Brace, Intermountain’s senior vice president and chief people officer. “This is a great example of two premier health systems and amazing and dedicated caregivers helping each other in times of need to support and care for our patients and communities.”
“During the height of the pandemic here in New York, we were grateful for the extraordinary support provided by the Intermountain Healthcare system,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health. “We are now delighted to be able to reciprocate by sending staff to assist them in their current battle against this disease.”
During an announcement of the deployment of New York caregivers to Utah, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo thanked Intermountain Healthcare and the people of Utah for their support during the height of the outbreak in New York.
“On behalf of New Yorkers, we won’t forget and we will do for them what they did for us, because that’s the American way,’ said Cuomo.
“This is a true representation of teamwork, working together across the country to support each other,” said Paul Krakovitz, MD, Intermountain Healthcare’s chief medical officer for specialty-based care, who helped organize the Intermountain COVID-10 Response Team that traveled to New York. “This sharing of best practices between health systems will greatly benefit patients in Utah and New York.”
