Thank You from NYU Langone Hospital

Dear Ajay Gupta, Ankur Gupta, Gupta Family, and Nandansons Team,

 We hope you are doing well!

 I wanted to share this important update with you and your family about the impact of your gift.

 For so many of us life has quickly changed in profound and difficult ways. I have drawn both comfort and strength, however, from the fearless frontline health workers treating critically ill patients across the country and, most especially, here at NYU Langone Health. We have been at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning and recently celebrated the discharge of our 1,000^th patient!  These victories here and elsewhere deserve to be celebrated, and I have never been more proud to associate with the doctors, nurses, researchers, and support staff at NYU Langone who work so tirelessly on our behalf.

 As you well know, even in the best of times philanthropy is integral to making innovative new projects a reality. The support of our philanthropic community has made NYU Langone a stronger, more resilient institution—particularly in the face of this unprecedented crisis. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is the opportunity to share with donors the direct and tangible impacts of their gift. At a time when good news seems scarce, I am very happy to share with you the lifesaving difference that virtual urgent care has made during the COVID-19 crisis.

 An Unparalleled Response to an Unprecedented Crisis

In just a few months, the coronavirus pandemic has deeply impacted nearly every aspect of our daily lives, including the medical institutions entrusted to save them. NYU Langone prepared heavily for the need we knew would come and moved rapidly to adapt, innovate, and reprioritize so we may best care for all patients and the communities in which we operate. Virtual care, in particular, has become a linchpin of our COVID-19 response by making medical diagnosis and treatment more conducive to our best disease-prevention strategy: social distancing.

Specifically, the virtual care you helped launch has provided new avenues to:

• See more patients and reduce stress on our emergency departments;
• Triage and prioritize patients in a way that preserves essential resources and personal protective equipment for our most vulnerable patients; and
• Protect patients and medical personnel from greater, unnecessary exposure to COVID-19 and other diseases.

The incredible impact of the virtual platform is clear: Since NYU Langone made virtual care available 24/7, we have expanded from 20 to 1,300 the number of virtual care clinicians, witnessed a ten-fold increase in urgent care visits, and averaged approximately 5,000 non-emergent telehealth visits per day during the height of the crisis.

Virtual Care Expansion

Even as we devote significant resources to the COVID-19 response, we are mindful that for our clinicians, the treatment for other seriously ill patients does not stop. For those who are battling diseases like cancer, the fight for remission does not stop. And for the scientists on a quest to cure other conditions such as Parkinson’s, MS, or HIV, the search for new treatments does not—and must not—stop.

Newly relaxed regulations around telehealth, including provisions that now permit healthcare across state lines, have also provided new opportunities to extend our reach via virtual care. And as an institution we have made it possible for all of our providers to conduct virtual visits, with some departments conducting as many as 200 video visits per day.

The Future of Virtual Care at NYU Langone

The COVID-19 crisis has put in sharp relief the importance of building systems that enable our institution to reach the greatest number of patients, and to do so safely and effectively.

In the coming months we will continue to address key infrastructure needs, including:

• Hiring additional physicians to meet outsize demand and the need for 24/7 assistance
• Training and accreditation of additional staff
• Increasing telehealth capacity from our Brooklyn and Long Island campuses
• Developing and maintaining technology development and integration
• Creating dedicated staff time and space for virtual care

As with Hurricane Sandy, we know the landscape will continue to evolve. We also know that this response will be a marathon, not a sprint. The investment you and your family made in 2018 helped us to test and grow our virtual care program, directly aiding our efforts today and positioning us to better respond to patient needs well into the future. Now more than ever, we are grateful to you and to our larger community of supporters.

Thank you!

All the best,
NYU Langone Team

Thanks,