A CarePoint Health physician who worked at Christ Hospital has died on April 8 from complications of the coronavirus, hospital officials said.
Dr Leo Dela Cruz died at Holy Name Hospital on April 8 morning, CarePoint Health spokesman Eric Bloom said.
“It is with a great deal of sadness and heavy heart that we share with you the news of the passing of our beloved attending physician, Dr. Leo DeLaCruz,” Dr. Tucker Woods and Marie Duffy said in a statement.
“Once you met Dr. Dela Cruz, you would never forget him because of his kind, gentle and fun personality,” the statement continued. “He was a good person, a sweet man that was loved by everyone in the hospital.
“He was a great psychiatrist for the patients in our community and also a great friend and adviser for our own staff. If anyone was going through a rough period, he was there to help.”
Bloom said Dela Cruz did not treat coronavirus patients before he fell ill.
In tributes on social media, friends and colleagues said Dela Cruz earned a “top doctor” award three years in a row.
“He is one of the best friend you could ever have with gentle soul full of life and love to everyone,” One friend said. “Voted as one of the best doctors in New Jersey three years in a row!”