Nosa Choi, RN, left, and Elvira Parales-Jose, RN, observed a Moment of Silence in the Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Queens.
In solitude and in groups, at computer terminals, at nurses’ stations, and in corridors, faculty, staff, and students recently joined events that honored and celebrated members of the Mount Sinai family lost to COVID-19. The events—a Virtual Memorial Service and a series of Moments of Silence—were part of the mandate of the COVID-19 Memorial Committee, chaired by Jonathan A. Ripp, MD, MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Well-Being and Resilience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. And more projects are to come.
“The people we lost to COVID-19 were our colleagues, our friends, and our work family,” Dr. Ripp says. “There is a deep commitment across the Health System to remember them, honor them, and pay tribute to them. I am privileged to be leading a group that is working to fulfill that commitment.”
The Virtual Memorial Service on Tuesday, July 28, was attended via Zoom by more than 1,500 people from across all eight Health System hospitals, the School, and outpatient facilities. The service featured heartfelt music provided by the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine, poetry, and messages of healing from Mount Sinai chaplains the Rev. Amy Strano, M.Div, BCC, and Rabbi Jo Hirschmann, BCC, both members of the Memorial Committee; and from Vicki LoPachin, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of the Mount Sinai Health System.
The names of those lost to COVID-19 were read by Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “We will always remember them for their work, and the lives they lived,” Dr. Davis said. “And they will forever be a part of Mount Sinai. I also want to acknowledge the family members who supported their loved ones in their quest to make the world a better place, including their work families, who I know miss them every day.”
The Mount Sinai community was saluted for teamwork at every level by Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System. “Our response to the pandemic now and in the future is a seminal event in the history of Mount Sinai,” Dr. Charney said. “We lost some brave men and women in the midst of defeating COVID-19. We dedicate ourselves to finishing the work that they themselves were dedicated to.”
A week after the Memorial Service came a series of solemn Moments of Silence at 10:30 am and 4:30 pm on Tuesday, August 4, and 12:30 am on Wednesday, August 5. “The Virtual Memorial Service was a large event with many participants,” says Nathan Goldstein, MD, Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who co-chaired the Virtual Memorial Service subcommittee with Rabbi Hirschmann. “We wanted the Moments of Silence to be more intimate, a chance to grieve and heal in small groups. To do this, we held three Moments of Silence to ensure that staff working shifts round the clock had a chance to participate.”
The work of the Committee continues with projects including an online Wall of Remembrance and physical memorials at sites across the Health System. If you would like to share your ideas about these projects, please email COVID19Memorial@mountsinai.org.
These men and women were our colleagues, our friends, our mentors, recipients of high fives, and providers of supporting shoulders. They were an important part of our day–bringing joy, encouragement and love.
Vicki LoPachin, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of the Mount Sinai Health System
They dedicated their lives to health care. Each and every one of them played a unique and important role in helping patients and families. And we will forever be grateful for them.
Nathan Goldstein, MD, Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
We lost some brave men and women in the midst of defeating COVID-19. We dedicate ourselves to finishing the work that they themselves were dedicated to.
Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System
We will always remember them for their work, and the lives they lived. And they will forever be a part of Mount Sinai.
Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System
We know the world is a better place because it included the members of the Mount Sinai family, whom we lost to COVID-19. They changed and shaped us. We remember them.
Rabbi Jo Hirschmann, BCC, Director of Spiritual Care, Mount Sinai Downtown
May this be a time when we can feel the magnitude of loss, while also holding in gratitude the blessings that these individuals brought to our lives.
The Rev. Amy Strano, M.Div., BCC, Director of Spiritual Care, The Mount Sinai Hospital