We’re bracing in America for the coronavirus to impact our cities and communities in waves. We are living in a new normal, and this virus is not going away. As we grapple with how best to mitigate the deadly consequences of this new normal, our frontline physicians and medical personnel are facing life-and-death questions about how to deliver the best care possible given limited and sometimes even non-existent essential resources. And there are a host of ethical questions that must be navigated to ensure we don’t needlessly sacrifice human lives or surrender to inhumane forms of rationing, denial of treatment, or simply cultural indifference to those who are most vulnerable.
Dr. Aaron Kheriaty stands at the intersection of these issues and is one of America’s frontline physicians confronting this crisis. Dr. Kheriaty is Director of the Medical Ethics Program at UCI Health in Southern California and serves as chairman of the medical ethics committees at UCI Hospital and at the California Department of State Hospitals. Dr. Kheriaty joins Tom Shakely to share a physician’s perspective on America’s pandemic response and more.
