Yorktown Talk Focuses on Limiting Coronavirus Spread

Supervisor Matt Slater welcomed a physician from Hudson Valley Hospital to discuss the coronavirus’ local effects and best practices for avoiding infection.

Dr. Michael Ford, a primary care internist with NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Group Hudson Valley, joined Supervisor Slater during his Thursday night Facebook Live broadcast. Their discussion ranged from the rising use of telemedicine to proper social distancing, coronavirus immunity and best practices for grocery shopping during the pandemic.

The widespread adoption of telemedicine during the coronavirus pandemic has been questioned by doctors and patients alike.

“I was concerned as a doctor how effective this can be,” said Dr. Ford, whose practice is in Sleepy Hollow. “I was very pleasantly surprised by how much you can get just by looking at a sick person….I can diagnose a flu just by looking at a person. I don’t need a swab for that.”

Advice offered by Dr. Ford included:

• Wear a mask or face covering outside to home.
• Jog on empty streets instead of on crowded nature trails.
• Maintain six feet of distance from others.
• Minimize the number of excursions outside the home.
• Leave the children at home when running errands.
• Avoid touching the face, mouth or eyes.
• Wash hands after unpacking groceries at home.

Dr. Ford, a Dobbs Ferry resident, noted that Hudson Valley Hospital has set up a field tent near its emergency room for overflows of patients.

“We’re anticipating a surge in the ER which hasn’t arrived yet,” said Dr. Ford, an assistant attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian and assistant professor of medicine in the department of internal medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Supervisor Slater said that he invited Dr. Ford to his broadcast to keep residents informed about how to protect themselves, particularly by practicing social distancing.

“I’ve been trying to emphasize this to our residents: Your choices matter,” said Supervisor Slater. “You could feel perfectly fine, but it doesn’t mean you can’t inadvertently put someone else at risk.”

A video of Supervisor Slater’s talk with Dr. Ford is posted on Yorktown's YouTube channel and on Yorktown’s Facebook page.