So far 2020 has truly been an unprecedented year with most of us having experienced unimaginable changes to healthcare and to our livelihoods. The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first reported in in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei Province of China, in December 2019. Over the ensuing months, rapid increases in case numbers and deaths were observed worldwide, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic on March 11, 2020. With over 11 million cases and over 500,000 deaths confirmed globally, almost 3 million cases with over 100,000 deaths in the US, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost every aspect of our lives and placed an incredible strain on the healthcare system. Obstetric care has many unique aspects deserving of special attention during a public health emergency. While much of routine healthcare pauses during a pandemic, care of pregnant persons and their growing families must continue uninterrupted. In obstetrics, we faced multiple, unique anticipated and unanticipated challenges as this pandemic evolved.
The objective for this issue is to share many lessons learned from a collaborative team of perinatal care providers who were at the epicenter of the United States COVID-19 pandemic as it began in the United States. Descriptions of various components of operational and systems preparedness ranging from personal protective equipment to redeployment to simulation to telehealth will be addressed in a practical format.
Our hope is that by sharing lessons learned in real-time we will be able to help others who are in various stages of COVID-19 preparation and response. It is our belief that knowledge is power and information sharing will be critical as we strive to optimize the health and well-being of our patients, their newborns and families.
We would like to dedicate this issue of Seminars in Perinatology to two invaluable team members lost due to tragic accidents during the pandemic.
Dr. Richard Levine was a member of our department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for over 50 years, most recently serving as Vice Chair for Development. Over the years he wore many hats too numerous to describe here. His clinical skill, judgment and compassion defined the way he practiced obstetrics and gynecology throughout his career, and a number of us feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from him. He was the ultimate role model, a key mentor and a strong source of support for our career development at all stages. In the final weeks of his life during the COVID-19 pandemic, he spent his time organizing PPE donations and creating virtual experiences to provide motivation, appreciation and support to our frontline team members.
Rebecca Adelman served as the Patient Care Director of our Neonatal ICU. Unfortunately, Rebecca was only with us for a short time, but left a timeless impact on our interdisciplinary care team. Her contribution to the NICU chapters, particularly the one describing our infection prevention and control efforts, was her resolute dedication to her NICU team, her work family, and her affirmative leadership. She learned by listening to our front line care team. This enabled the team to provide meticulous care to our patients and their families and even to thrive, despite being in the epicenter of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Rebecca's greatest legacy is to ask us to ensure that we give voice to those who are at risk of not being heard and to value their concerns; their words are invaluable to promote the safety and well-being of our patients, families and staff.