Top NYC Doctor Treating Coronavirus Patients Dies By Suicide

INWOOD, NY — A top emergency room doctor at Allen Hospital on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic died by suicide on Sunday, according to police.

Dr. Lorna Breen, who was the head of the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in Inwood, died from self-inflicted injuries in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she was staying with family, according to police and reports.

"She tried to do her job, and it killed her," Breen's father, Dr. Philip C. Breen, told the New York Times.

Her father told the Times that Breen had gone back to work after recovering from the coronavirus herself, but was sent home by the hospital. Her family then intervened to bring her to Charlottesville, he said.

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Breen, 42, did not have a history of mental illness, but seemed "detached" the last time they spoke, her father told the Times. She described the onslaught of coronavirus patients dying before her eyes at the hospital, some before they could be taken out of the ambulance.

“Make sure she’s praised as a hero, because she was," Philip Breen said. "She’s a casualty just as much as anyone else who has died.”

In a statement, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia described Breen as a hero who "brought the highest ideals of medicine to the challenging front lines of the emergency department."

"Words cannot convey the sense of loss we feel today," the statement reads."Our focus today is to provide support to her family, friends, and colleagues as they cope with this news during what is already an extraordinarily difficult time."

Breen's friends told the Times that, aside from work, she was an avid member of the New York ski club and a deeply religious Christian who volunteered at a home for older people once a week.

"Frontline healthcare professionals and first responders are not immune to the mental or physical effects of the current pandemic," said Charlottesville Chief RaShall Brackney.

"Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can reduce the likelihood of being infected, but what they cannot protect heroes like Dr. Lorna Breen or our first responders against is the emotional and mental devastation caused by this disease."

If you you are in crisis and thinking of harming yourself please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

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