Naomi Goldberg, RN, center, with Mount Sinai employees Maribel Fiol, left, and Daisy Benitez
Naomi Goldberg, RN, began her nursing career at Mount Sinai West in 1968, when it was known as Roosevelt Hospital, working there for 38 years until her retirement in 2007. But retirement did not suit Naomi. She wanted to continue serving patients, so she began volunteering in the Emergency Department and the Division of Hematology/Oncology. Her schedule resembles that of an employed nurse: she comes into the hospital eight hours a day, four days a week. And she will go in extra days if she is needed.
Yasmina Garcia, RN, BSN, first met Naomi during the tireless volunteer’s nursing days. “I always admired her as a nurse. She worked so hard; she was caring and smart, and advocated for her patients. Now that she’s a volunteer, she has not changed. Naomi works with the same caring spirit,” Yasmina says. “Our staff and patients love when she comes to the unit; her smile is contagious. She is a great asset to our staff, always advocating for patients’ needs, and meeting them in any way she can, whether it’s a pillow or a warm blanket. She always goes above and beyond for our patients and expects nothing in return.”
This praise is echoed by Jill Frick, MSN, RN, Director of Nursing, Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai West. “Naomi is an amazing volunteer here in the Emergency Department. She is constantly moving and assisting our patients and team. Naomi is the person everyone goes to when we need something done.”
Naomi says she enjoys speaking to patients, making them comfortable and helping the nurses out. “The nurses are my extended family,” she says. “They are the backbone of the hospital, and I am so happy to be there among them.”