Dr. Yasmin Hurd (left), Director of the Center for Addictive Disorders within the Mount Sinai Behavioral Health System, and Dr. Edwin Salsitz of Mount Sinai Beth Israel. (JAMES KEIVOM/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)
Not everyone is aware that Mount Sinai Downtown has the largest non-profit Opioid Treatment Program in the United States with a network of 11 clinics throughout downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. The OTP team is a crucial part of the plan to transform downtown and offer a comprehensive network of behavioral health care excellence. Although the program has been in operation for over 40 years, the need has increased in the past several years.
Melissa M. Freeman, MD
Edwin Salsitz, MD, is an attending physician at MSBI, Division of Chemical Dependency, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine. He recently worked with Yasmin Herd, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Pharmacological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine to publish, “Opioid Addiction FAQ: Experts’ guide to the hard facts,” in the New York Daily News, which can be found here.
In May, I was grateful to attend the OTP Service Awards to learn about the OTP staff’s incredible service to the community. One person who stood out was Melissa M. Freeman, MD, the physician at the Gouverneur Clinic, who was honored for her care of addiction patients for more than 56 years. Thank you for your dedication, Dr. Freeman. See pictures of her and some members of our OTP teams below.
Some staff who work in our OTP network: First row, left to right: Jimel Brown, Jaime Torres, Karen Astorino, Domingo Fernandez, Flora Johnson, Dunia Gibson; Second row, left to right: Valerie Pressley, Caryn Dayola, Edith Marcano, Lakesha Brace, Marcell Ledoux, Rosemary Prisco, Zaida Liranzo, Stephanie Woodley, Ardetta Green, Loretta Campbell, Danell Williams; Back row, left to right: Anisha Torruella, Anthony Lee, Michael Lucine, Elma Hyppolite, Rakhshan Chida, MD, Mirta Reyes, and Emmanuel Vilsaint.
From left to right: Brian Koll, MD; Jordan Ehni, MPH; Marie Moss, RN; Wes McKinley, PA; Marie Vill, Office Manager; Kathryn Stanak, RN; Carolina Vilaluz, RN.
Dr. Brian Koll
So many people have been at BI for a long time. Brian Koll, MD, Executive Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control, has been in our infection control department for more than 30 years. We say goodbye to him this week as he retires. Under his leadership, we’ve had some of the lowest infections rates in the system and in our history. This team is an integral part of keeping our patients safe. See a picture of the infection prevention team below. We wish Dr. Koll all good things in his future and promise to maintain his standard of excellence.
Have a great weekend!
Jeremy
PS—Check out pictures from our celebration of Pride for Pride on Wednesday!
