The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am a physician specializing in the care of high-risk individuals for over 30 years and work in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. In the last month I was recruited to be the New York lead for a pandemic response working group of experts in infectious diseases, epidemiology, and biothreats. My group was responsible for early closure of the majority or yeshivas, synagogues and social distancing community implementation a FULL week prior to the City of New York school system. This intervention saved lives no doubt.
I am an attending physician at both Maimonides Medical Center and NYU-Langone, both have campuses in Brooklyn. I have been in the emergency rooms and ICUs in Maimonides daily since this crisis started. We are near breaking point in Brooklyn and in Queens. Lives are being lost by the hour. I have personally lost patients, friends, colleagues and community members in large numbers. I honestly can no longer keep track of the names. Because of my responsibilities, I have not even been able to pay proper condolences remotely as we are now forced to do. I have three urgent requests as we have no options at this point.
We need 16K ventilators, 10K sophisticated high-flow nasal canula machines and large numbers of staff to assist our hospitals in Brooklyn and Queens, both Ground Zero for COVID.
Yesterday the Surgeon General received through channels my team’s sophisticated documentation justifying 16K ventilators for the state, half for the five boroughs and half for the remaining hospitals statewide. We simply can no longer wait for help locally. As a man of God, I know that your heart will lead you to save lives urgently. You have the opportunity to avert a disaster here in Brooklyn and Queens that will eclipse that of 9/11. Currently, the towers are on fire but have not yet fallen. We can get more of our people out now. I am begging you to move heaven and Earth to get us the three requests above. Once we no longer need the equipment and staff here in New York and the apex passes, the wonderful logistics capabilities of the United States government can be used to shift those assets to other states.
May God bless you, the United States and the world.
With respect,
Stuart H. Ditchek, MD, FAAP
Faculty, NYU School of Medicine, Langone Medical Center
Attending, Maimonides Medical Center
Chief Medical Officer, Kids of Courage
NYPD, Honorary Police Surgeon
{Matzav.com}
Interesting, at least he is not running around in shuls
keep unnessassary comments out of the comment box.
Dr. Ditchek is a legend! It’s so hard to read about his requests and knowing what we all thought; the the hospitals are ill prepared, ill equipped for this kind of disaster. Many lives that have been lost couldve perhaps have had another chance. Even that is in the hands of hkb”h but the details are painful to read.
“My group was responsible for early closure of the majority or yeshivas, synagogues and social distancing community implementation a FULL week prior to the City of New York school system. This intervention saved lives no doubt.”
No it did not. Everyone agrees that was/is going to get it anyway. The question is only how fats.
Typical liberal.
I am sure the hospitals are aware that anesthesia machines can be used as ventilators with a slight change to them. Perhaps this will help a bit until ventilators arrive.
I know Dr. Ditchek personally for nearly 20 years. He doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body. He is כולו for others.
If he really wants to save lives he should recommend every person that has corona virus should make sure they are hydrated and are making sure they are getting enough electrolytes we have too many people dying from heart attacks after they are feeling better already from lack of hydration and electrolytes instead of writing a letter to the president that undoubtedly will not get read
Direct your requests to Andrew Cuomo. Dont outlaw the vital medicine that is truly saving lives and saving people from need ventilator to begin with (just because Trump said it works) and then come screaming for help.
I hope he does help because I care about the lives of the sick, but if these libs truly cared about lives-they wouldn’t prevent doctors from prescribing the FDA approved medicine that they know will help their patients.
As for staff shortages, they should allow the wonderful volunteers from Bikur Cholim & others to assist (In full protective gear) with non medical needs of the patients (like bathroom, meals, contacting family, making them comfortable etc.)
If anyone cared about lives of the sick, or about Trump reelection, they would have written him two months ago, to take this very seriously.
Some comments do not seem to realize that ventilators need to be staffed and heavily so. If I deliver you scalpels, or let’s say a full OR, does that make you able to do surgery?
I think it would be more realistic to send bikur cholim to patients at home, doing what you suggest and also delivering saturimeters, oxygen bottles etc.
finally a wonderful letter by dr. ditchek. Keep up the great selfless work you have been exhibiting
Dr ditchek make yourself avail to the families w patients in maimonides according to the ny post video today there are less than 50 covid because hatzoloh going to city do something for them the president has enough eitzos
What about the Zinc deficiency that many are unaware of?
I have no idea and I beg my brothers and sisters of klal yisroel. We are standing at the end of this galus. Moshiach is right here; PLEASE please help us get there quicker and with less pain by being careful with your lashon. Even a goy knows to be careful with that. To write or say comments that I’m reading here; which are also so unfounded is so counterproductive to what and where we hope to be getting to…. Lets pass this test!
I SAW HIM ON FOX AND FRIEDS TODAY, IM SURE THEY NEED MORE EQUIPMENT BUT WHY ARE THERE MORE BODY BAGS COMING OUT OF certain hospitals? WORD IS THAT NURSES ARE PULLING PLUGS WITHOUT CONSULTING FAMILY!! WOULD THE KIND DOCTOR PLEASE GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS?? TALKING ABOUT RETZICHA MAMASH!!
IF you are using a bronchodilator, please read this:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528211/
Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. March 2008
Cardiovascular morbidity and the use of inhaled bronchodilators
Bronchodilators apparently impose a larger relative risk in people with unrecognized cardiovascular disease than in people with known disorders.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8970341
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. December 1996
Bronchodilators and acute cardiac death
Abstract: Bronchodilators used in the treatment of airway disease have been shown to have a variety of cardiac effects that may contribute to the occurrence of life-threatening events such as cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac arrest.
https://err.ersjournals.com/content/26/145/160123
Effectiveness and safety of concurrent beta-blockers and inhaled bronchodilators in COPD with cardiovascular comorbidities
European Respiratory Review 2017
Inhaled bronchodilators might have adverse cardiovascular effects, including ischaemic events and arrhythmias,…