In the Crosshairs of the COVID-19 Crisis

Dr. Matthew Langston

Director of Pulmonary Critical Care,
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi

Impact of COVID-19: My job is to represent our medical ICU team to ensure that we have the proper staffing and resources. That means making sure they're being heard and that day-to-day, on-the-ground ICU observations are being considered as changes are made.

Motivating Our Staff: As a department, we've done a really good job of coming together and supporting one another. I'm very fortunate that my peers in pulmonary critical care are all incredibly motivated. I check in with them through the week, and after some rough weeks, I just try to give them an open ear as they're processing difficult decisions and choices. If they're overwhelmed in the face of this. I think they appreciate that.

I'm very fortunate that I go home to my wife, Peggy Loo, and our dog, Hamilton – both of whom provide comfort and an open ear. My wife, more so, helps me decompress after some tough days.

Why I'm on the Frontlines: In the weeks before coronavirus hit New York and we realized how this would impact us, my peer group and I had a very clear understanding that our unit would be in the crosshairs of the worst of this disease. There's a lot of unknown, but I also believe that this likely will be the moment of greatest need potentially in my whole career. If there was ever a time that we were needed to take care of our community, our peers, our friends and our neighbors, it's now.