Mark Cramolini (’74 DC), a critical care specialist, volunteered to fight the first wave of COVID-19 at a Bronx hospital.
Mark’s home base is East TN Children’s Hospital in Knoxville, TN. But in April 2020, when the first wave of COVID-19 struck New York City, he volunteered his skills in critical care medicine at the overwhelmed Jack D. Weiler Hospital in the Bronx.
As a warm-up to this ’74 lunchtime talk, Mark encourages you to watch the short video Life and Death in the ‘Hot Zone’ from the New York Times, which captures the chaotic scene at the hospital. (In the video, an emergency room doctor says “Get them upstairs!” — referring to the makeshift Intensive Care Unit where Mark worked for 10 days.)
Recorded on Zoom February 8, 2022. Hosted by Alec Haverstick. Runtime: 60 minutes. Chapter breaks appear below.
Chapter breaks in this video:
0:00 – Introduction
12:05 – Into the COVID zone
23:47– Plight of the patients
43:40 – My medical teammates
51:45 – My take-aways