Under normal circumstances, Dr. Demetri Rizos would be treating patients with kidney problems in the relative quiet of hospitals in Methuen and Newburyport. These days, however, he is in a besieged community hospital in the Bronx at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

Rizos, 50, has been volunteering at North Central Bronx Hospital in New York City since April 6. He is working 14 hours a day in a converted 14-bed intensive care unit, where he leads a team of 20 medical professionals caring for critically ill COVID-19 patients and making life-and-death decisions.

Ive never been on a battlefield before, but this is very much like being involved on the front lines of a medical disaster, said Rizos, who practices at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen and lives in Danvers, during a telephone interview.

Rizos volunteered to go to the Bronx after former medical school classmates reached out to him. The state of New York has more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than any country in the world besides the United States and Rizos said the densely packed Bronx has been particularly hard hit. He is one of more than 100 doctors from around the country who are volunteering at the hospital.

Rizos said most of the patients are dependent on breathing machines. They cannot be visited by family. Many have relatives who have the virus. Most are Spanish speaking. Those who are awake, he said, are often inconsolable.

Due to the scarcity of resources, Rizos said doctors are faced with decisions about who gets what type of care and who doesnt. A committee meets daily to make those excruciating choices.

If we have an elderly patient who is critically ill, we sometimes have to make a decision that even with all the therapies we have available that this patient will not get better, he said. This can be devastating to hear as a family member.

When a bed opens up in the intensive care unit through a patient either dying or getting better it is filled within an hour.

We dont have time to be anxious, Rizos said. Were simply too busy.

While Rizos is serving on the front lines in New York, his wife, Susan, is doing the same back home as a critical care nurse at Beverly Hospital. Incredibly, they first met on the USNS Comfort, the Navy medical ship that is now docked in New York harbor treating COVID-19 patients.

Rizos said his volunteer work in the Bronx has given him a productive outlet for his emotions after his father died March 2 as a result of a motor vehicle accident. The Rev. Peter Rizos, 82, was a Greek Orthodox priest and lifelong Lowell resident who served as a pastor and director of religious education.

My dad was the first individual to help out those in need, Rizos said. It gives me a great amount of satisfaction to do the same. Hes with me every day, and I know that even though I cant talk to him I know that hes guiding me through this difficult situation.

Rizos is staying in a hotel near Yankee Stadium, which he said only amplifies how much he misses baseball. He drives to work through empty streets, the hustle and bustle of the city replaced by an eerie solemnity.

But New Yorkers are very resilient, he said. Im not a Yankee fan, but were all fans of New York right now.

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'On the front lines of a medical disaster' - Eagle-Tribune