Matthieu Jabaudon spent a year of mobility “happy"As a family doing research at Vanderbilt University in Nashville when the Covid-19 hit. This anesthesiologist-resuscitator, who practices at the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, then decides to review his plans. In March, he responded to a call for volunteers from caregivers across the country to lend a helping hand to colleagues in New York who were overwhelmed by the influx of patients. A few days later, he ended up at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in east Queens. “I arrived on Friday March 28 in New York. I started the following Tuesday. Usually, the waiting time for foreign doctors to obtain permits to practice is longer“, He says.
At 41, including twelve in the “sheave”, he is one of the French people charcoal-fueled to treat the sick of the Covid-19, which killed more than 11,000 people in New York City (figure which takes into account the suspected deaths from the virus). When the pandemic began to sweep across Europe, he sent his parents who were in the United States to France and wondered if he too was going to return with his wife and children to help colleagues in Clermont-Ferrand. But, holder of a J-1 visa, he was not sure he could return to the United States with the partial border closure decided by Donald Trump. “In addition, we had no accommodation in France, he observes. I wanted to make myself useful here, to contribute to the collective effort. It drives me“.
Having come to the Big Apple for the first time to spend a Christmas with the family, he found himself very far from a postcard atmosphere for this second stay. He stayed in a Flushing hotel reserved for caregivers, including New Yorkers who did not want to return home to avoid contaminating their loved ones. Queens is, moreover, one of the "boroughs" which records the most sick and dead reported to the population, according to the Department of Health of the City. This situation is explained by the presence of a large number of poor and uninsured immigrant workers, sometimes carrying out "essential activities" (delivery, transport, etc.) which increases their risk of exposure to the virus.
After a day of observation "quite intense“, Matthieu Jabaudon is in charge of an intensive care unit. Even if his hospital is not in a situation of "overload”And that there is no shortage of equipment like that of Elmhurst, who made the headlines at the end of March after the broadcasting of a video showing an overworked nursing staff, the Frenchman does not have time to twist his thumbs . “We see whole families infected, probably because of the density of the population, he observes. Re-animation can be quite uneven in terms of workload. Here it is constant and important. People who don't usually manage patients end up doing it. Retired nurses returned. This can create challenges, but everyone gives the best of themselves. It’s great to see the solidarity between the staff”, He explains.
Among the challenges encountered, he mentioned the lack of certain drugs, staff (which limits the opening of beds), or the quality of equipment, in particular artificial respirators. “Not everyone is ventilated with modern machines. There are more archaic, basic respirators with obscure settings. It adds to the difficulty“.
His experience will last only fifteen days, after which he will return to Nashville to find his family and put himself in quarantine. “I'm just moving to New York. It's easier for me than for those who stayhe said. They have real mental strength“. And the taste for small attentions: despite the stress, his colleagues took the time to celebrate his birthday by buying some pastries from a French bakery. “My colleagues in France, Italy or elsewhere are experiencing dramatic situations. For me, it was a necessity to seek help. This is the opportunity to exercise my profession in a context that requires it“, He continues.
At 7pm, when New Yorkers applaud the nursing staff from their balconies or windows, Matthieu Jabaudon almost finished his day (he starts at 7am and finishes at 8pm). How does it feel to be seen as a "hero"? “At first, I thought to myself that applause was not necessary. It's nice but we just do our jobhe answers. But when you see that after a big day, it cheers you up“.
