Coronavirus: 'Hero' Hospital Worker Buys $10K Breathing System

GREENPORT, NY — A respiratory therapist who works at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital has taken heroic measures to fight back against the new coronavirus.

Shari Hymes has been a respiratory therapist for more than 35 years — but the coronavirus pandemic has meant uncharted waters.

“I never thought I’d experience anything like this in my lifetime,” Hymes said. “We’ve had really bad flu seasons, but nothing like this.”

To help those in need, Hymes purchased a $10,000 high velocity nasal insufflation system from Vapotherm for the hospital. The device pushes oxygen into the lungs through the nose and doesn't require the patient to be intubated.

“All of our staff — and I mean all of us— are working extraordinarily hard to keep themselves, their patients, and this community safe during this unprecedented time,” Paul J. Connor III, chief administrative officer of Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, said. “Shari is going above and beyond the call of duty here; she’s one of the many modern-day heroes that make me so proud to be part of this incredible staff.”

“Everyone’s hearing about ventilators, and we still do need more ventilators,” Hymes said. But with the new system, she said, “We’ll have an extra option; we don’t have to go right to intubation.”

Traditionally, when patients with respiratory illness need assistance to breathe, there are multiple respiratory care options to exhaust before physicians resort to intubation and use of a ventilator. Those options include treatment using nebulizers, high flow nasal cannulas, and bi-level positive airway pressure, or BiPAP, machines. However, those solutions come with a high risk of airborne transmissions to healthcare workers, according to a news release.

“Vapotherm high velocity therapy provides mask-free non-invasive ventilatory support,” according to the product’s website. “High velocity/high flow therapy, when properly fitted and applied, is associated with a low risk of airborne transmissions.”

Hymes said she originally heard about the technology at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, where she also works — and said she'd seen firsthand how well the equipment worked.

“It’s a lot more comfortable for the patient as it allows them to sit up in bed and eat, which they couldn’t do while intubated,” she said. “It doesn’t take up a lot of room, and it’s safer for our healthcare workers.”

SBELIH has received many donations of supplies, funds, and meals for staff. The ELIH Foundation also kicked off the COVID-19 Action Fund in light of the pandemic to fund critical staff, supplies, and bed overflow capacity in the event of a patient surge.

“I’ve never seen such a sense of community as I do throughout the North Fork,” Hymes said. “There’s so much we can do; we can all do this.”