NEW ORLEANS — Keeping emergency room medical teams at the top of their game is a priority, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Jay Kaplan is one of the most experienced emergency room doctors in the area. He’s also the Medical Director of Care Transformation for LCMC. And he is our Healthcare Hero of the Day for his work on the front lines of the pandemic.
When LCMC’s ICU beds began filling up with Covid-19 patients, Kaplan got the call to get to the scene. But he wasn’t there to treat patients. He was there to help the doctors and nurses.
“I just give people permission to have the feelings that they have and to give them some hope,” Kaplan told WGNO.
Kaplan told the teams that he understands their concerns about contracting the virus themselves or transmitting it to family members. He also told them not to worry about having enough equipment because the ventilators and PPE would be there.
“Unhappy doctors and nurses don’t make for happy patients,” Kaplan said.
But there was one more way that Kaplan helped his doctors and nurses cope with the stress of the life or death situations.
“I read them some of my poems,” he said. For that part of the story, click on the video button at the top of this page!
Healthcare Hero of the Day is sponsored by Schonberg Care.
