Patient Stephanie Carballal, center, with staff at Mount Sinai West.
Stephanie Carballal, 33, was brought to the Mount Sinai West Emergency Department by her mother, who could no longer manage her care.
Stephanie has Moyamoya, a rare disease in which blood flow to the brain is reduced, sometimes causing stroke or aneurysms. Because of the disease, Stephanie is cognitively impaired and uses a wheelchair due to weakness on one side of her body. Her visit to the Emergency Department led to an inpatient stay on 9B as a team tried to find her a home.
Social workers Rachel Schwartz and Eliza Ginsberg say that Stephanie won the hearts of staff throughout the hospital. She flourished with attentive care from nurses; physicians; rehabilitation therapists; chaplains; housekeeping, dietary workers; case managers; and many more.
“Stephanie clearly felt that she belonged and was cared for,” says Rachel. Adds Claudette Barry-Gordon, nurse manager, “We celebrated her birthday and named her my assistant manager.”
Behind the scenes, Rachel and Eliza worked tirelessly on Stephanie’s behalf until they secured a court-appointed guardian and found an appropriate small group home that would accept her.
The team threw Stephanie a party and presented her with a scrapbook of memories from her stay. Although she is missed, everyone is thrilled for her.
“Stephanie touched us all emotionally,” says Eliza. “We are so happy she will get the love she deserves.”