JAKARTA - New York Police announced a suicide case on Sunday, April 26. In that case, the victim was identified as a doctor on duty at the Manhattan Hospital Emergency Room. The victim is known to be in charge of caring for COVID-19 patients.
Doctor Lorna M. Breen, who was also the Medical Director of the Emergency Department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, died in Charlottesville, Virginia, at her family home. Charlottesville Police Department spokesperson Tyler Hawn first learned of the incident when he received an email requesting help seeking medical assistance.
"The victim was rushed to the UVA hospital for treatment. However, his life was not saved because of the injuries inflicted on him," said Hawn was quoted by the New York Times.
Breen's father who is also a doctor, Philip C. Breen explained, before the incident, Doctor Lorna described the incidents of the COVID-19 victims. "He tried to do his job, and it killed him," he said.
According to her father, while treating COVID-19 patients, Doctor Lorna was infected. After about a week and a half of treatment, Doctor Lorna recovered and returned to work again. Some time after returning to work, the hospital then sent Dr Breen home again. Then finally he was taken to his family's home in Charlottesville.
Her father said that Doctor Lorna had no history of mental illness. However, the last time he spoke to Lorna, he seemed "blank". It seemed that something was wrong, his father said. For example, when Doctor Lorna told how there was an onslaught of many patients who were dying even before they were released from the ambulance.
"Dr Breen (Lorna) is really at the forefront. He deserves to be called a hero," said the father.
In line with that, the hospital, in a statement called Doctor Lorna a person who upholds medical ideals to the highest place. "Dr Breen is a hero who brings medical ideals to the highest in the forefront of challenging the emergency department," the statement read.
However, the statement did not explain what actually caused Doctor Lorna's death. The reason for not disclosing the cause of death, according to the hospital, was that they obeyed the family's request for privacy.
"The deaths give us a lot of questions we probably can't answer," New York-Presbyterian's Head of Emergency Medical Services said in an email.
Psychic influence
Dr. Lawrence A. Melniker, Deputy Chair for Quality of Care, said that Dr. Lorna was a doctor who was respected and liked by many people in the environment where he worked. He is a doctor who is always concerned about the condition of his co-workers.
Doctor Lorna always makes sure that the protective equipment or whatever is needed is met. "You can't get a position like that here without being a very talented person," said Melniker.
According to Melniker, the COVID-19 pandemic presents its own challenges in terms of mental health that are not commonly experienced by emergency doctors throughout New York, which is the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis in the United States.
Melinker says that even emergency doctors are used to responding to all kinds of terrible tragedies. However, now it's different. They are also worried that they might infect their own family, relatives and friends.
NewYork-Presbyterian Allen is a 200-bed hospital. The hospital, which is located in the far north of Manhattan, can treat up to 170 COVID-19 patients. As of April 7, there were 59 deaths from COVID-19 there.
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