National outreach of telepalliative medicine volunteers for a New York City safety net system COVID-19 pandemic response

The COVID-19 surge in New York City created an increased demand for palliative care (PC) services. In staff-limited settings such as safety net systems, and amid growing reports of healthcare worker illness, leveraging help from less-affected areas around the country may provide an untapped source of support. A national social media outreach effort recruited 413 telepalliative medicine volunteers (TPMV). After expedited credentialing and onboarding of 67 TPMV, a 2-week pilot was initiated in partnership with five public health hospitals without any previous existing telehealth structure.
Source: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management - Category: Palliative Care Authors: Tags: COVID-19 for Fast Track Publication Source Type: research