Leading from the Trenches in Queens

Dr. Dave Holson

Director, Department of Emergency Medicine,
NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens

My Role: I have clinical and administrative oversight for the emergency services. During the peak, I chose to be in the clinical units every day to ensure I was leading from the trenches alongside my courageous and committed staff.

COVID-19 brought unprecedented challenges, as the borough of Queens became the epicenter of the epicenter. One of our most challenging tests came in our ability to respond to a protracted surge in cases and our successful effort to move patients safely to other hospitals in our system when we needed it most. Being part of a large, integrated health care system has been advantageous. We received additional staff to help us expand capacity to continue providing care, and the systemwide effort to level load allowed us to transfer patients to other NYC Health + Hospital facilities in order to manage overcrowding in the ED.

Why I ‘m on the Frontlines: The Emergency Department is the front door to the hospital, so I did not choose this fight. This fight chose me.

This is my calling, and the preservation of life and human dignity is integral to this calling. Because success is dependent on our collective effort, it has been encouraging to see the different disciplines collaborate and share best practices and resources.

This is my calling, and the preservation of life and human dignity is integral to this calling. Because success is dependent on our collective effort, it has been encouraging to see the different disciplines collaborate and share best practices and resources.