Overview 

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our way of life, and we New Yorkers were the first to experience the effects in 2020. The virus spread very quickly in New York in March and April, reaching a high of 12,000 daily cases and 1,000 deaths at the beginning of April (1).

Numbest of Positive COVID-19 cases in New York State from the New York Times. (Source is https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/new-york-coronavirus-cases.html)

 

Communities faced an outbreak of a pervasive virus and needed to prevent deaths while facing shortages in ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital beds/resources. In our local community, Niskayuna and Schenectady, both part of Schenectady County, were both exposed to the virus, and in total our county has 1,586 cases, 53 deaths, and 121,362 total cases (2). This pandemic has put extreme strain on the healthcare system, and exposed disparities and issues in the system such as testing, access to care, and government policy for our diverse populations. 

The local Schenectady County Public Health Department has been monitoring the virus spread and providing testing for the community members. Contact tracing is being done by the Schenectady County Departmentof Public Health, where tracers are monitoring infected people, their contacts, and their 14-day quarantine status; this is integral in trying to reduce the spread across the community (3). They are also offering no-cost community testing in drive thru testing centers, one of these centers is at SUNY Schenectady (4).

A Schenectady County Nurse administering a COVID-19 test at SUNY Schenectady (Source is https://dailygazette.com/wp-content/uploads/fly-images/182706/110520_COVIDSchenTest_EM-04-940×940.jpg)

Over the past four weeks, we have studied the differences between Schenectady and Niskayuna, focusing on healthcare, access to healthcare, and other social determinants of health. We studied the demographics and diverse patient populations in Schenectady, such as the homeless and underserved populations, and learned about different organizations and programs that are helping across the community. This week, we are looking at access to healthcare, diverse patient populations, organizations and programs, and social determinants of health through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Brief Analysis

Once the pandemic started to surge in New York, our lives were turned upside down, and access to resources was extremely limited. Schools and businesses were forced to shut down, and many people lost their jobs as a result of the closures. People were scared of going outside and contracting the virus because no one knew about the severity of the virus. The media reporting became worse day by day, as the hospitalization numbers were rising rapidly and people were dying. Images from hospitals began to circulate, showing the surge in hospitalizations, the lack of hospital beds and resources, and the strain on our first responders and medical professionals. Given these conditions and the state of the healthcare system, we began to see how the pandemic began to affect the diverse patient populations. 

We have studied many diverse patient populations in Schenectady, including the ‘at-risk’, ‘low-income’, homeless, and others that have differing access to healthcare. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect these populations. At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a strain in the supply chain, so there were shortages in goods such as toilet paper, perishable goods, and cleaning products. As prices of these products increased, this created problems for those who are on fixed incomes or lower incomes because they may be out of employment. What would happen to the unemployed and the children? Those who lost their jobs lost a stream of income, so how were they supposed to change their lives amid a pandemic? How were the homeless population supposed to get help

Kingsway Nursing Center, a part of Kingsway Community (Source is https://dailygazette.com/wp-content/uploads/fly-images/168290/KingswayCommunity99-940×940.jpg)

and resources? The City Mission, a shelter, was forced to stop having volunteers come to the shelter in order to protect their current residents and staff from the virus (5). How were the elderly supposed to obtain their resources? Because of their age, many feared going out to stores because they may be more susceptible to contracting the virus. Nursing homes were extremely susceptible to the virus, because many of those in the homes are older, physically weaker, and may have comorbidities; so any caretaker who may be carrying the virus can infect many people. Kingsway Community, a senior community, had 56 staff members and 2 residents test positive for the virus in July 2020 (6). What happens to victims of domestic violence and abuse? Shelters like the YWCA Schenectady began to see less calls from victims, before we started wearing masks and social distancing, as many people may have missed the opportunity to seek help for fear of contracting COVID-19 (7). How were recovering addicts and alcoholics supposed to receive treatment? Centers like the New Choices Recovery Center in Schenectady needed time to shift their resources online, as many in-person counseling, meetings , and resources like Alcoholic Anonymous meetings (AA) went online (8). Moving to an online world was inevitable after the rise of the pandemic. What happens to those who did not have access to the internet and/or a computer? As we can see, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic created problems in access to care and resources for many populations.

The Schenectady COVID-19 Emergency Response Coalition

I want to highlight the The Schenectady COVID-19 Emergency Response Coalition, a coalition launched by Schenectady County to help Schenectady residents obtain resources. The County has partnered with many organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady, Schenectady Community Action Program, The Schenectady Foundation, The Bethesda House, The City Mission, and The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York (9). The Schenectady Foundation, a charitable trust organization, is providing the funds for this coalition (8). One important feature of the Coalition is that they are operating a hotline that anyone can call to receive help in obtaining basic supplies and other essentials, and identifying services offered by the partner organizations

Food being packed by Schenectady County employees at Boys& Girls Club Schenectady (Source is https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/11/45/17/19289069/3/ratio3x2_1200.jpg)

(9). Social Services representatives are also participating in the hotline, helping those who may need shelter, healthcare, and financial resources (9). The Coalition staff is delivering groceries and supplies to those who may be quarantined or isolated, seniors, and other at-risk individuals who can not leave their homes (8). The groceries were all donated by the Regional Food Bank, and volunteers packed the supplies and groceries to be delivered across Schenectady (9). In my opinion, the Schenectady Coalition is an amazing effort launched by a local government that recognizes the needs of diverse populations and has the support of local organizations. It is remarkable that people are risking their safety working in this Coalition to help those in need. This Coalition will improve individual health and community health by ensuring that those who are infected/isolated/quarantined can stay at home and not spread the virus. 

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened our eyes into the inequities and issues in our healthcare system. Efforts to contain the virus have hurt many diverse populations, and local and state governments, organizations have stepped up to provide resources and ensure that people can receive essential supplies. As a future medical provider, I have observed the different responses to the pandemic and have many questions that need to be answered about our healthcare system. How do we promote positive public health practices across our state? To what extent does politics influence public health decisions? How do we prioritize the distribution of the vaccine to diverse populations? How can we support local businesses? In the event of the next public health crisis, how do we change a testing response for the state? How can we support the supply chain so that there are less shortages for the public? These are just a few questions that should be addressed so that our healthcare system can be prepared for any public health emergencies.

References

  1. New York Covid Map and Case Count. The New York Times, 1 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/new-york-coronavirus-cases.html.
  2. “Workbook: NYS-COVID19-Tracker.” COVID19, New York State Department of Health, covid19tracker.health.ny.gov/views/NYS-COVID19-Tracker/NYSDOHCOVID-19Tracker-Map?%3Aembed=yes.
  3. Matson, Zachary. “COVID-19 Cases Tick up in Schenectady, Saratoga Counties and across State.” The Daily Gazette, dailygazette.com/2020/11/05/covid-19-cases-tick-up-in-schenectady-saratoga-counties-and-across-state/.
  4. DeMola, Pete. “Kingsway in Schenectady Tuesday Evening Confirms COVID-19 Death; Schenectady County Death Toll Now at 4.” The Daily Gazette, dailygazette.com/2020/03/31/one-dead-one-hospitalized-at-kingsway/.
  5. De Vito, Emily. “City Mission of Schenectady Residents Gain Employment through the Pandemic.” WNYT NewsChannel 13, WNYT, 14 Aug. 2020, wnyt.com/schenectady-new-york-news/city-mission-of-schenectady-residents-gain-employment-through-the-pandemic/5827035/.
  6. NEWS10 ABC. “56 Staff Members, 2 Residents Test Positive for COVID-19 at Kingsway Community.” NEWS10 ABC, NEWS10 ABC, 29 July 2020, www.news10.com/news/local-news/56-staff-members-2-residents-test-positive-for-covid-19-at-kingsway-community/.
  7. de la Rocha, Kelly. “Bucking Trend amid COVID-19 Response, Domestic Violence Shelter in Schenectady Sees Lull.” The Daily Gazette, dailygazette.com/2020/04/11/bucking-trend-domestic-violence-shelter-sees-lull/
  8. COVID-19 Information. New Choices Recovery Center.
  9. Nelson, Paul. “Feeding Those Hardest Hit by Coronavirus in Schenectady County.” Times Union, Times Union, 12 Apr. 2020, www.timesunion.com/news/article/Feeding-those-hardest-hit-by-coronavirus-in-15194558.php.