Hospitals in Boston that have historically been rivals are sharing supplies, equipment, data and staff in an effort to treat COVID-19 patients, The Boston Globe reported.
Several weeks ago, Boston Medical Center was flooded with intensive care patients and providers were worried about running out of ventilators. Other hospitals in Boston took 10 patients from Boston Medical Center and sent it ventilators they weren't using, according to The Boston Globe.
Boston Medical Center also sent masks to Boston Hope, a temporary hospital created by Partners Healthcare, the dominant healthcare provider in Massachusetts.
"We have a great mutual aid society. We learn from each other. We keep each other up to date on some of the challenges we face. That’s a really important and a really powerful thing that came out of this pandemic, and I believe that will persist," Kate Walsh, CEO of the Boston Medical Center, told The Boston Globe.
Partners Healthcare also has been working with Beth Israel Lahey Health even though the 2019 merger that created the Beth Israel Lahey system was designed to compete with Partners, according to The Boston Globe.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told The Boston Globe: "I can tell you that these hospitals and these organizations are typically, well, pretty competitive with one another. It's been remarkable to see them work together."
Boston hospitals have also been planning how to share supplies of remdesivir, Gilead's COVID-19 drug, after some hospitals received hundreds of doses and some got none.
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