Pandemic Preparedness: COVID-19 Lessons Learned in New York’s Hospitals
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented tremendous challenges for New York state’s hospitals and health systems. Healthcare providers were truly heroic in responding to an unprecedented pandemic surge, working around the clock to address the serious challenges presented by gaps in preparedness at the federal, state and local levels. Such gaps were immediately apparent during the spring 2020 surge when little was known about how to treat and prevent the spread of the novel virus.
Identifying root causes and developing recommendations for the future is critical to quality improvement. With the initial surges of the pandemic behind us, HANYS’ standing Statewide Steering Committee on Quality Initiatives examined the hospital experience in New York and developed recommendations for hospitals, health systems and county, state and federal policymakers to better prepare for and respond to future pandemics.
The committee’s report highlights what went right — the many ways providers met the challenge through preparation and adaptation. The following findings address what can be improved.
