A Neurologist Over 60 Looks at COVID-19

For the past 2 years, I have enjoyed my position as a staff neurologist at a county hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Like many public hospitals, mine struggles with a limited budget to provide state-of-the-art care to countless needy patients. The crowding in the emergency and trauma intake rooms constantly reminds patients and staff of the need for better facilities.

Andrew N. Wilner, MD

It has always seemed that the hospital administration has done all it could do to get through each day, putting repairs and improvements on perpetual hold. Physicians, nurses, and other employees try to compensate with, as our health system puts it, a "premier" attitude. All of us have signed on to the hospital's charitable mission, even if it means accepting lower salaries and less than optimal workplace conditions. A new $350 million hospital has been proposed, but no one can say when or if it will ever materialize.

A couple of weeks ago, COVID-19 arrived. On March 13, 2020, our hospital's president and chief executive officer created an official COVID-19 website. At that time, only one case had been documented in our county of 1 million people. The CEO called for a "pandemic preparedness plan" in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.