Valley doctor headed to New York to help fight coronavirus outbreak

PHOENIX — A Valley critical care physician has packed his bags and will soon head into the center of the country’s coronavirus pandemic.

Greg Margolin, who is based out of Scottsdale, will depart Thursday for New York.

Margolin will spend at least one month serving coronavirus patients who need help the most.

“They recruited me and specifically stated all I would be doing is seeing patients with COVID-19 and patients who are either on a ventilator or very near needing one,” Margolin told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.

His initial assignment will be at a makeshift hospital in Manhattan.

“They’re placing me at the emergency pop-up hospital at Javits Convention Center in midtown Manhattan,” Margolin said.

The convention center has been turned into a 2,500-bed emergency facility and is being run by the United States Army, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

During Margolin’s one month of service in New York, if things settle down and the makeshift hospital is no longer needed, he will be reassigned to New York Hospital in the Presbyterian system.

Margolin will be staying in a Marriott Hotel thanks to their partnership with the state of New York that is housing frontline workers free of charge.

“When I’m there my scheduled duties are 13-hour shifts overlapping by one hour from the next shift, and I’ll be working five nights on with one off in between doing that continuously for a solid one month,” Margolin added.

While serving the most critical of coronavirus patients in New York, he leaves at home a wife of 18 years and two teen children.

“I think my wife knew when this thing was ramping up that as soon as there was an opportunity for me to go help – she pretty much, I think knew I was going to try and go help,” Margolin laughed.
“That’s the beauty of being married for so long.”

Margolin believes his children are proud and excited for him to be able to go serve in a way that in unique and crucially needed right now.

He plans to celebrate his son turning 14 just days before he takes off for New York. When he returns, he plans on celebrating his daughter’s 16th birthday.

“She herself wants to go into medicine, so I think she is excited to vicariously see how this process is unfolding,” Margolin added.

With roughly seven years of practicing medicine in Arizona, the critical care physician completed his fellowship in New York City at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center when 9/11 occurred.

“We did disaster training back then, but to be quite honest we never got to apply anything – we went through all the motions but there were no people who needed ICU level disaster care,” Margolin added.

“Being trained and prepared I always felt like – should the day come again then I would like to help out if I can.”

Related

Maricopa County Library District celebrates opening of new West Valley branchBygone mall favorite Hot Dog on a Stick plans return to ArizonaCentral Arizona Project president says feds ‘bought the lies’ on Colorado River planGlendale Police ask for help identifying car involved in hit-and-run that killed bicyclistArizona joins 22-state lawsuit to block federal insurance rule that would gut ACA protectionsWoman hospitalized with leg injury after rescued from Papago Mountain’s Hole in the Rock