New York Doctor Dies Of COVID-19 After Delaying Retirement To Assist Low-Income Hospital
A New York doctor has died of COVID-19 after he delayed his retirement to help fight the pandemic that plagued a low-income hospital in the state. James Mahoney, 62, a pulmonologist who worked day shifts in the intensive care unit at the University Hospital of Brooklyn, had the option of retiring after serving his 40 years as a physician.
However, he decided to continue working and treating patients up until he contracted the virus and died on April 27. It was during the second week of April when he first noticed he had a fever, but continued to consult patients while in quarantine at home. On April 20, he was admitted to UHB’s emergency room and on the 26th, he was transported to Tisch Hospital, where he’d be connected to a blood oxygenation machine, that UHB did not have. A day later, he passed.
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While his brother, Melvin Mahoney, who was already retired and stopped treating patients at the beginning of the pandemic, James, who saw patients through the AIDS epidemic, 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Sandy, couldn’t see himself walking away during New York’s time of need. In addition to his day shifts at UHB and telemedicine sessions, James also lent his expertise during evening shifts over at nearby Kings County Hospital Center. Colleagues looked at him as their “JAY-Z.”
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