I used to live in new england. No part of NY is further than a few hours drive from any other part of the state, especially during lockdown traffic. The Stony Brook facility was on Long Island, only a 60-mile drive from downtown NYC. An ambulance/bus in a hurry could easily make the drive in under an hour.
These patients can't all just go for an afternoon drive on their ventilators. That would mean tying up an ambulance + staff for at least 12 hours. We aren't talking about an "afternoon drive" in these circumstances.