ITHACA, NY (WSKG) - Early Wednesday morning, hundreds of people stood along the road leading from the entrance to Cayuga Medical Center* in Ithaca. They were there to cheer for staff headed to help care for COVID patients in New York City.
People wearing face masks and holding signs lined the road from the hospital to send off the group of volunteers. Jeanette and John Hartrick drove up from Binghamton to see their daughter, Dr. Angela Arbach.
Arbach is one of the healthcare providers from the hospital who volunteered to go to New York.
"I’m just super proud of her," said Jeanette Hartrick. "This is who she is. This is what she was born for."
Arbach has been part of a team treating local COVID-19 patients at Cayuga Med.
Overall, 52 medical professionals left for New York City. Among them a respiratory therapists, a specialist trained to operate ventilators.
Cayuga Med's CEO, Martin Stallone, said the hospital expects more staff will go to help treat COVID-19 patients within the month.
*Full disclosure: Cayuga Medical Center is a WSKG Underwriter.