As New York City becomes the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus epidemic, the city sent out an emergency alert asking licensed healthcare workers to support facilities in need.
The city’s emergency alert system was used on Friday to request that licensed healthcare workers volunteer to assist shorthanded facilities. According to NBC, previous calls for volunteers earlier this week resulted in over 82,000 volunteers.
“Attention all healthcare workers: New York City is seeking licensed healthcare workers to support healthcare facilities in need. Visit NYC.gov/helpnow to volunteer,” the alert read.
Some felt like the emergency alert highlights the severity of the coronavirus in the city, where about 1,800 people have died.
“Just got this emergency alert that underscores how bad things are right now in New York City,” Twitter user and author @evansiegfried wrote.
NBC reports that volunteers are vetted before placement. Online, anecdotes show volunteers coming from a variety of backgrounds––from school nurses to hospital staff from other states.
“There was just an emergency alert in NYC begging for all licensed HCW to come work in the hospitals,” Twitter user @jleetshh wrote. “A school nurse I know has been mobilized into a hospital because schools are closed. I’m skilled in post vent rehab but from what I hear, there’s not a lot of need for that.”
The emergency alert sent out to residents asked volunteers to go to a New York City government website to find where they are needed most.
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H/T NBC New York
