From left to right, Erik Blutinger, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Karen Wish, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer; and Khalid Islam, Safety and Training Manager for Emergency Medical Services at Mount Sinai, contributed oral histories about their experiences during the pandemic.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City in March 2020, all manner of operations at the Mount Sinai Health System were disrupted. Clinicians and nurses, regardless of specialization, were suddenly caring for COVID-19 patients, in-person work had to cease and be shifted to remote, and staff across all departments had to handle the stresses of a new reality.
During that time, The Arthur H. Aufses, Jr. MD Archives, which houses historical collections from the Health System and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, were documenting how staff members were dealing with the pandemic by recording oral history interviews.
“It was critical to speak with our staff during the start of the pandemic so that their initial experiences could be saved as they had just happened,” said Molly Seegers, Director of the Archives. “This was to recognize and honor what they were experiencing and to ensure that their stories would be preserved for future generations to learn from how we responded and prepare for another pandemic.”
From July through October 2020, the Archives team conducted interviews with doctors, nurses, students, researchers, medical responders, and administrative staff to get the full story of COVID-19’s impact. It was important that the team capture not just the voices of hospital leaders, who spoke frequently at town hall meetings, but all facets of Mount Sinai, said Ms. Seegers.
“People in positions of authority are often the ones whose opinions and decisions are most broadcast. Oral history interviews allow for people who may be left out of the historical record to contribute their experience and have the human experience be more accurately represented,” she said.
The Archives team gathered the “COVID Memories” oral history collection—containing 26 video and audio interviews with transcripts—of challenges, memorable events, and emotional moments.
In this slideshow, excerpts from three different interviewees have been selected. To watch the full interview and others in the collection, click on the button to access the archives.