As an ER doc, I've made life-or-death decisions in my career - but this time is different & alarming. With only 7 ventilators in my hospital, an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 patients may force me to choose one life over another based strictly upon resources. Here's why: (1/11)
As has been widely reported, there may not be enough ventilators in our country to care for the critically-ill infected by the novel #coronavirus. Even if the *total* number ends up being adequate, there will be varying needs in different locations over the course of time. (2/11)
Recently, @realDonaldTrump told governors on a conference call: “Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves… We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves.” Here's why many governors were gravely concerned by such a directive: (3/11)
This virus does not recognize state borders. Just like it has no nationality, it has no concern for whether you live in Michigan or Oklahoma. MI @GovWhitmer has taken this seriously from the start, banning large gatherings, closing schools, bars & restaurants. However... (4/11)
While Michigan's governor understands the only way to stop the virus is to stop its transmission, @GovStitt of Oklahoma recently posted a now-deleted tweet of himself at a “packed” restaurant with his kids, belittling the efforts of others to actually save lives. (5/11)
While I trust Whitmer will work to secure ventilators & other equipment I need to save lives, can Oklahomans be so sure that Stitt will do the same? Will those patients lose what may become a "Hunger Games" scenario where governors are battling one another for supplies? (6/11)
Why should a Michigan resident's life be saved over an Oklahoman's? What we really need is the president to appoint a national leader (like President Obama's "Ebola czar") to coordinate the allocation of resources across this vast nation to save as many lives as possible. (7/11)
As conditions change, we may even need to consider suspending the Interstate Compact to allow the free movement of public health resources (like ventilators) across state lines. Governors can't do this but the President (whose job is the nation's collective safety) can. (8/11)
The federal government is also one of the biggest buyers in the world. The ventilator maker below says it hasn't been asked to increase production. In an emergency like this, only the feds can make the needed production ask & purchase we need. (9/11) forbes.com/sites/baldwin/…
Obviously we often function as individual states, but in times of national crises we are the *United* States of America. The president may need to consider temporarily nationalizing and paying truckers & the railroad industry to move medical equipment. It's an emergency. (10/11)
As an ER doc, the last thing I want influencing life-or-death decisions is scarcity of medical resources. The President & federal government must consider aggressive, extraordinary measures to ensure this won't be the case. The time is now. /END.
