As the war in Ukraine slogs into its fourth month, displacing an estimated ten million people in the process, non-government organizations (NGOs) — independent groups with a social mission — from all over the world are searching for ways to help. With war comes casualties, making the need for trauma care in war zones even more crucial, especially as Russian forces bomb hospitals, maternity wards, and other civilian institutions. But how can NGOs like Doctors Without Borders and health systems like New York’s Northwell Health deliver care to a war zone half a world away?
In a fortuitous twist, lessons learned from the COVID pandemic have offered a lifeline to Ukrainian physicians as they struggle to provide care in an environment where resources are scarce and deadly threats loom daily. A partnership between Northwell Health’s Center for Global Health and Ukrainian doctors, made possible by Doctors Without Borders, is using telemedicine techniques honed throughout the pandemic to provide much needed assistance to front-line caregivers.
Ukraine relief
Lessons Learned from the Pandemic Are Making a Difference on Ukraine’s Eastern Front
More about relief efforts in Ukraine
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pandemic. Northwell’s global COVID relief efforts in India, Ecuador, and Guyana, which included vaccines as well as vaccinators, were key in showing how resources can make just as big a difference as personnel.
“We’ve learned from our work in other parts of the world that sometimes sending personnel isn’t always the most effective option because of the limited number of people you can send and the logistics it takes to get them there,” says Northwell’s Director of Global Health, Dr. Eric Cioe-Peña. “To be able to leverage the skills and talents of our entire health system at a moment’s notice can make all the difference in saving lives.”
Launched in conjunction with the Ukrainian military in undisclosed locations across eastern Ukraine and overseen by Dr. Berkowitz representing Northwell’s Center for Emergency Medicine, these telemedicine platforms are a two-way street. As Northwell doctors gain vital knowledge about war trauma injuries, they’re providing 24/7 consultations and training to newly enlisted providers and education to battlefield-promoted physicians. Telemedicine has already assisted in trauma surgery, neurosurgery, and surgical critical care, as well as doctor-to-doctor consults across multiple specialties.
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Due in part to the rapid scaling of telemedicine required by the pandemic, Northwell is in a unique position to help in Ukraine. The Northwell Centralized Transfer Center, which provides telemedical access to thousands of Northwell hospital-based specialists to patients in the New York region and beyond, manages the day-to-day operation of telemedical services in Ukraine.
Northwell telemedicine in eastern Ukraine rolled out in stages. The first goal was mobilizing the telemedicine call center to funnel calls to readily accessible mobile platforms, anything from laptops to mobile devices and tablets. After access was established, the initiative’s second phase introduced medical grade/high fidelity telemedicine systems—like the ones routinely used in hospitals in the U.S.—to these centers. This facilitated collaboration between Northwell and Ukrainian doctors in the operating room. Remote-controlled by Northwell’s physicians in the U.S., these innovative systems allow doctors to change their desired field of view for better patient assessment and can also be pivotal in post-operative care.
Along with providing access to telemedicine and large-scale fundraising, Northwell is taking further steps to support Ukraine relief and recovery efforts. Northwell shipped 18,000 pounds of medical supplies to Warsaw, to be used to care for refugees and those injured during combat. Utilizing its extensive network of medical translators, Northwell translated critical education trauma modules for the World Health Organization into Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian. The course has already been deployed to individuals on the front lines. Northwell has also shipped more than 1,110 pounds of nonperishable food items to Poland to aid Ukrainian refugees there and collaborated with the U.S. immigration office to expedite medical visas for families with complex medical conditions who need treatment in the U.S.
Northwell’s response to the war in Ukraine has been varied and expansive, reflective of Northwell’s overarching commitment to be the best-integrated healthcare system. Northwell’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has yielded many lessons learned, which are proving invaluable now. Northwell’s Center for Global Health and Center for Emergency Medicine are putting the innovation of telemedicine into action on the front lines.
To learn more about Northwell’s efforts, listen to the episode Telemedicine in Ukraine with Drs. Berkowitz and Cioe-Pena on Northwell’s 20 Minute Health Talk Podcast.
Ukraine relief fund
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With 18,000 pounds of supplies packed for shipment to Ukraine, Northwell Health calls for donations to provide further relief to those suffering abroad.
The Center for Global Health is working to provide relief to those suffering in Ukraine.
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“We’ve leveraged the versatility of our team during COVID, and we see many of the same opportunities it can provide in this fight,” wrote Dr. Jonathan Berkowitz, medical director for Northwell’s Center for Emergency Medicine, which oversees Northwell’s telemedicine arm, in a recent post for Northwell’s Insights. “This is a space where we’ve written the playbook. We’re going to do it again and will adapt this platform to serve the greatest need in a variety of situations.”
The initiative to bring telemedicine to Ukraine’s eastern front follows many other international initiatives Northwell has engaged in throughout the
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The Center for Global Health is working to provide relief to those suffering in Ukraine.
Ukraine relief fund
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Despite the huge boon that telemedicine can provide to front-line workers in Ukraine, Northwell CEO Michael Dowling knows Ukraine needs more. In a recent call to action to fellow healthcare providers, Dowling pledged that Northwell would match an additional $175,000 on top of the $275,000 that Northwell’s Ukraine Relief Fund has already raised.
“Importantly, 100 percent of the donations to this fund go directly to our international relief partners, including Doctors Without Borders, to support those directly affected by the war in Ukraine,” he wrote, adding that the additional $175,000 will be used to support relief efforts in other countries currently impacted by war. Mr. Dowling concluded, “Demonstrative of our commitment to improving health everywhere, these funds will support ongoing humanitarian assistance in more than a dozen conflict zones globally.”
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pandemic. Northwell’s global COVID relief efforts in India, Ecuador, and Guyana, which included vaccines as well as vaccinators, were key in showing how resources can make just as big a difference as personnel.
“We’ve learned from our work in other parts of the world that sometimes sending personnel isn’t always the most effective option because of the limited number of people you can send and the logistics it takes to get them there,” says Northwell’s Director of Global Health, Dr. Eric Cioe-Peña. “To be able to leverage the skills and talents of our entire health system at a moment’s notice can make all the difference in saving lives.”
Launched in conjunction with the Ukrainian military in undisclosed locations across eastern Ukraine and overseen by Dr. Berkowitz representing Northwell’s Center for Emergency Medicine, these telemedicine platforms are a two-way street. As Northwell doctors gain vital knowledge about war trauma injuries, they’re providing 24/7 consultations and training to newly enlisted providers and education to battlefield-promoted physicians. Telemedicine has already assisted in trauma surgery, neurosurgery, and surgical critical care, as well as doctor-to-doctor consults across multiple specialties.
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As the war in Ukraine slogs into its fourth month, displacing an estimated ten million people in the process, non-government organizations (NGOs) — independent groups with a social mission — from all over the world are searching for ways to help. With war comes casualties, making the need for trauma care in war zones even more crucial, especially as Russian forces bomb hospitals, maternity wards, and other civilian institutions. But how can NGOs like Doctors Without Borders and health systems like New York’s Northwell Health deliver care to a war zone half a world away?
In a fortuitous twist, lessons learned from the COVID pandemic have offered a lifeline to Ukrainian physicians as they struggle to provide care in an environment where resources are scarce and deadly threats loom daily. A partnership between Northwell Health’s Center for Global Health and Ukrainian doctors, made possible by Doctors Without Borders, is using telemedicine techniques honed throughout the pandemic to provide much needed assistance to front-line caregivers.
Due in part to the rapid scaling of telemedicine required by the pandemic, Northwell is in a unique position to help in Ukraine. The Northwell Centralized Transfer Center, which provides telemedical access to thousands of Northwell hospital-based specialists to patients in the New York region and beyond, manages the day-to-day operation of telemedical services in Ukraine.
Northwell telemedicine in eastern Ukraine rolled out in stages. The first goal was mobilizing the telemedicine call center to funnel calls to readily accessible mobile platforms, anything from laptops to mobile devices and tablets. After access was established, the initiative’s second phase introduced medical grade/high fidelity telemedicine systems—like the ones routinely used in hospitals in the U.S.—to these centers. This facilitated collaboration between Northwell and Ukrainian doctors in the operating room. Remote-controlled by Northwell’s physicians in the U.S., these innovative systems allow doctors to change their desired field of view for better patient assessment and can also be pivotal in post-operative care.
Despite the huge boon that telemedicine can provide to front-line workers in Ukraine, Northwell CEO Michael Dowling knows Ukraine needs more. In a recent call to action to fellow healthcare providers, Dowling pledged that Northwell would match an additional $175,000 on top of the $275,000 that Northwell’s Ukraine Relief Fund has already raised.
“Importantly, 100 percent of the donations to this fund go directly to our international relief partners, including Doctors Without Borders, to support those directly affected by the war in Ukraine,” he wrote, adding that the additional $175,000 will be used to support relief efforts in other countries currently impacted by war. Mr. Dowling concluded, “Demonstrative of our commitment to improving health everywhere, these funds will support ongoing humanitarian assistance in more than a dozen conflict zones globally.”
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