Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society and Jewish Healthcare Foundation Hold Virtual Program on COVID-19

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation was pleased to co-host the Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society-Western Division's Fall 2020 program on November 10^th. Titled "COVID-19 Across the Healthcare Spectrum," this was the Society's first virtual program. Over 60 attendees from many disciplines, including physicians, nurses, social workers, and nursing home administrators, joined the call for a panel discussion. The panelists explored the impact of COVID-19 on the direct care of older persons, including resource allocation and pharmaceutical dissemination. The program also focused on discussions around the emotional impact that COVID-19 had on the workforce and how health systems were faced with ethical challenges in managing decisions for care of individuals with COVID-19.

The panel was moderated by David Nace, MD, MPH, Clinical Chief of Geriatric Medicine, Director, Long-Term Care Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh; Chief of Medical Affairs, UPMC Senior Communities. Panelists included: Eitan Dickman, MD, MMM, FACEP, FAIUM, Executive Vice Chairman and Medical Director, Department of Emergency Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY; Aaron Pickering, PharmD, BCPS, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – Infectious Diseases at UPMC St. Margaret, and Douglas White, MD, MAS, Vice Chair and Professor of Critical Care Medicine, UPMC Endowed Chair for Ethics in Critical Care Medicine, Director, Program on Ethics and Decision Making in Critical Illness at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation also shared the trailer for their upcoming documentary, "What COVID-19 Exposed in Long-term Care" during the program. The documentary, scheduled to be released at the end of 2020, provides expert insight into the current state of long-term care and how COVID-19 exacerbated existing issues.