New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is surveying students and faculty at higher-education health institutions to see if they are willing to supplement the state's healthcare system as it battles coronavirus.

In an email to students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx that was viewed by Business Insider, a faculty member said Cuomo put out a request to all higher-education health institutions in New York to survey student and faculty's ability to assist the state's public health systems.

"In the event that the novel coronavirus crisis worsens, we need to be creative in finding back up assistance," the email quoted Cuomo as saying.

As of Tuesday evening, New York state had the most coronavirus cases in the US, with over 1,700 confirmed cases. Sixteen people in the state have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is surveying students and faculty of higher-education health institutions to see if they are willing to step in and supplement the state's healthcare system as it battles the coronavirus outbreak.

Ariel Fishman, Senior Director of the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Effectiveness at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, sent out a survey to medical students and staff on Tuesday in order to gauge their "interest and willingness" to help out with the state's public health crisis.

"As the capacity of our health system may become strained, the Governor's Office has asked that we survey our students, faculty, and staff to document their interest and willingness to lend your expertise for this urgent matter of public importance," Fishman wrote in his email to students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, which was shared with Business Insider.

According to the email, Cuomo put out a request to all higher-education health institutions in New York to assist the state's public health systems should the situation continue to deteriorate.

"In the event that the novel coronavirus crisis worsens, we need to be creative in finding back up assistance and the help of qualified medical professionals to supplement our state public health system's capacity to treat seriously ill coronavirus patients including those that may need to be hospitalized and intubated," the email quoted Cuomo as saying in his plea.

The survey included in the email asks a series of questions, including: "Are you willing, if called upon, to be of assistance in helping our community manage the coronavirus pandemic?" and "If needed, may Einstein share your contact information with the Governor's office?"

It also asks whether individuals holding a medical degree, or medical students, if they'd feel comfortable running a ward or assisting doctors with patient triage.

A Department of Health employee trains New York Army National Guard soldiers at a drive-through coronavirus testing center in New Rochelle, New York, on March 14, 2020. Sgt. Amouris Coss/U.S. Army National Guard/Handout/Reuters

It's unclear when Cuomo would call upon medical students and faculty to assist the state's hospitals and medical centers. On March 12, Cuomo asked retired and former medical workers and medical school personnel to be "on-call" in case the public health system became overwhelmed with patients.

"We're asking former doctors and nurses to reconnect with your old hospital, your old healthcare employer, to be on an on-call basis," Cuomo said at a press conference. Cuomo said National Guard members could also be called upon to act as "reserve staff."

"The Department of Health is accelerating regulations to get more nurses and personnel trained and put into different positions," Cuomo said. He said the preparations would be made as an emergency measure only.

"That's why it's planning," he said. "Plan for every contingency now, hopefully, you don't have to do any of it."

As of Tuesday evening, New York state had the most coronavirus cases in the US, with over 1,700 confirmed cases. Sixteen people in the state have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Cuomo has stated that he is concerned that New York will run out of hospital beds and that the pandemic could overwhelm hospitals.

"We're going to have a real problem," when the number of cases peak, he said in a press conference on Monday.

Some estimates have predicted that millions of Americans may end up in the hospital during this outbreak, including nearly 2 million in the ICU.

"Everybody wants ventilators. Everybody's looking for oxygen tanks," Cuomo said. "The federal government has a stockpile of emergency medical equipment. But suffice it to say, if the federal government doesn't step up and doesn't step up quickly, states are going to be forced to do whatever they can do on their own. And New York is going to be doing exactly that."

Cuomo also called on the US government to deploy the Army Corps of Engineers in order to help states build temporary facilities that would ease the burden on hospitals.

"If you don't do it, you know what is going to happen," he warned the administration.

Ben Goggin contributed reporting.