Hospitals are seeking the help of retired medical personnel to deal with a possible tsunami of coronavirus cases. According to Axios, the retired physicians and nurses won’t be assigned to intensive care units or coronavirus testing stations because older adults are at increased risk of getting sick or even dying from the virus.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) suggested this idea recently to physicians but with caveats.
“The question is: How can we bring people up to speed and bring them in?” asks Janis Orlowski, a physician and executive at the AAMC. “They will (likely) backfill in areas where it’s not direct patient care.”
Since 41% of doctors in America are 55 years and older, and 38% of nurses are also 55 years and older, they will need extra support, especially if they get sick.
According to The Daily Beast, thousands of doctors and nurses in Italy contracted the novel coronavirus, and American health care workers are already saying that they’re terrified of getting sick.
New York state put out a plea to recently retired health care providers to serve as “reserve staff” according to The NY Daily News.
Gov. Cuomo asked the retired health care workers to be available “as needed” in case there are shortages in facilities caring for coronavirus victims.
“We are looking for qualified, retired health care professionals and related professionals who are interested in supporting the state’s response,” Cuomo said in a tweet. More than 1,000 retired healthcare professionals and private practice physicians heeded the call in just one day.
According to The Daily Beast, some emergency room physicians have already tested positive for the virus and other medical providers are making sure their wills are up to date, isolating parts of their homes from the rest of their families, and even recording bedtime stories for their children in case they get infected.