News

“Today we reached a milestone in the public hospital system’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We discharged more than 5,000 COVID-positive patients. Every patient discharged is a celebration for family members and loved ones, and it’s an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of our heroic health care workers. NYC Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest municipal health care system, is serving at the epicenter of New York’s COVID-19 response, and our health care workers have been working day and night to provide lifesaving support to our patients. As our hospitals continue this fight and do everything in their power to save those who are sickest, I urge everyone to do their part for our health care workers on the front lines: stay inside, remain socially distanced when outside, and wash your hands frequently.”

For more information on NYC Health + Hospitals’ COVID-19 response, please visit our newsroom, and tune-in to the Mayor’s COVID-19 briefings at www.nyc.gov.

Additional Background and Statistics:

• At the height of the surge, NYC Health + Hospitals was taking care of more than 3,000 COVID-positive patients. Almost a third of these patients were on ventilators.
• Before and during the surge, NYC Health + Hospitals increased its ICU beds from 320 to 1,500.
• To assist its hospitals experiencing the surge, NYC Health + Hospitals transported, or “level loaded,” more than 650 patients across its system to ensure they received the best care.

Discharge Videos:

• NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens discharges its 880th patient
• Nurse Rita Esonwune is discharged at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi in the Bronx
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island discharges its 500th COVID-19 patient
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan discharges 91-year-old COVID-positive patient

Contact: Press Office, 212-788-3339