Nutley physician recovered from COVID-19 returns to work

Dr. Richard Malone, of Nutley, returns to work after recovering from COVID-19.

NUTLEY, NJ — As a brain injury specialist, Dr. Richard Malone, of Nutley, does not work directly with patients seeking care for COVID-19. But today, every health care worker, no matter their specialty, is inevitably on the front lines of the battle against the global pandemic.

Malone works in the Brain Trauma Unit at Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, where for more than 26 years he has treated patients with serious brain injuries and illness.

In March, early in the pandemic and just as COVID-19 patients began showing up at New Jersey hospitals, a stroke patient Malone was treating had an elevated temperature and later tested positive for the coronavirus. Another patient with brain trauma also tested positive.

So when Malone woke up the morning of March 26 with a mild sore throat, headache and chills, he knew a COVID-19 diagnosis was possible. He also had another telltale symptom.

“I had diminished smell and taste,” he said. He had no cough, chest tightness or trouble breathing.

Malone — who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation and holds a subspecialty certification in brain injury medicine — self-quarantined in a room in his house in Nutley.

He reached out to Dr. Sara Cuccurullo, vice president and medical director of JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, and to the institute’s department of occupational health. He received a test and on April 1 got the call that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

For five days, he battled the symptoms, including fatigue, as his wife and daughter left him food at his door. Malone eventually recovered, thankful that the disease did not progress to serious complications. He quarantined himself, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols, and was cleared by occupational health to return to work at the end of April.

“You feel a real sense of urgency to get back and help,” Malone said. “Other people were covering for me, and I wanted to be there to support my colleagues and our patients.”

The global pandemic is taking a toll on health care workers across the nation. Malone said his recovery and return to work merits no more attention than the recovery of other health workers. Nonetheless, the unpredictability of the course of the virus left many thankful for Malone’s full recovery.

“It was an inspiration to all of us on the Brain Trauma Unit to see Dr. Malone back,” said nurse Laura Mularz, director of JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute Nursing and Patient Care Services. “Dr. Malone plays such an instrumental role on the unit, and everyone knows his dedication to his patients. His commitment to being such a thorough physician probably put him at risk.”

Although people who recover from COVID-19 may have some immunity, the science is not yet clear.

Cuccurullo said the need for rehabilitation is emerging as a critical component of recovery for post-COVID patients. Many need rehabilitation for pulmonary pathology, functional deficits and neurologic injuries secondary to the COVID-19 virus. Patients who have spent time dependent on ventilators during their recovery are especially deconditioned and can benefit greatly from a comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program.

“We’re grateful for Dr. Malone’s clinical excellence and experience,” Cuccurullo said. “All of our staff, nurses, therapists, doctors and residents have really put the patients first and put themselves at risk to make sure our patients received the highest level of care. Dr. Malone and every member of our staff have shown tremendous courage and fortitude weathering this crisis.”