Jim Brexler witnessed the devastating effects of COVID-19 months months before most other Pennsylvania hospital leaders did.
His health system, Doylestown Health, is located about 80 miles southwest of New York City, where the pandemic s first surge was centered one year ago. We are just 15 miles from the Delaware River and we were watching everything in New York City and New Jersey, said Brexler, Doylestown Health s CEO. In January 2020, we started prepping and getting things ready.
Doylestown Health and other hospitals in southeastern Pennsylvania have suffered two surges of COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. The initial wave was in late March and April, and the other occurred between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when most Pennsylvania hospitals were affected.