Elyse Meltzer, CPNP
Elyse Meltzer, CPNP, works in one of the Mount Sinai Health System’s Pediatrics School Based Health Centers. The clinic is located in a New York City public school in East Harlem, where she provides primary care for the students. She has also been involved for many years with the Mount Sinai Perinatal and Pediatric Bereavement Program, which offers bereavement services to families experiencing losses during pregnancy, infancy, or childhood. The following is an excerpt of a letter that Elyse sent to colleagues about her plan to support the program in a brand new way during these unprecedented times.
“In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were all on ‘lockdown,’ and things were looking grimmer and grimmer, I found my salvation by taking walks, and running in Central Park. As the typical New Yorker, I was forced to slow down, and something unexpected happened. I began to notice my surroundings and the little things I had been oblivious to for more than two decades as a resident of the Upper West Side.
Spring was rolling in, and along with it, an abundance of beautiful flowers were blooming just outside my front door, often in the most unexpected places. I didn’t seek them out, but there seemed to be a magnetic force drawing me toward every flower in my path. I started taking pictures with my iPhone, and before I knew it, I had amassed a huge spring floral collection.
I wanted to share these amazing photos with others, but how? One day while running, I sprouted the idea of showcasing them in a calendar that I would design from the heart. Then I thought, how great would it be if I could share this with others while raising money for a cause that I’ve been dedicated to for the past fifteen years as a facilitator of the Mount Sinai Perinatal Bereavement Support Group.
I hope that in 2021, you will find the peace, beauty, and happiness I saw during these trying times with each month of the calendar.”
Learn more about the Perinatal Pediatric Bereavement Program here, and learn more about the fund-raiser here.