Excellence in Patient Care

Mount Sinai Beth Israel recently honored eight employees with 2018 Heart Awards for keeping patients safe, providing the best patient experience, and making the hospital a place of choice for patients, doctors, and employees. The annual award honors physicians and staff with five or more years of service whose actions demonstrate Mount Sinai’s core values of collaboration, agility, passion, creativity, and empathy.

Front row, from left: Claudette Daniel, Patient Care Associate, Hospice and Palliative Care; Faigie Tropper, Patient Representative; Laura Rodriguez, RN, Pediatric Observation Unit; and Alicia Tennenbaum, LCSW, Assistant Director, Department of Social Work. Back row, from left: Louis White, Patient Care Associate, Psychiatry; Jennifer Scott, RN, Opioid Treatment Program Clinic 2 (Harlem); Marcia Graham, Child Life Specialist, Pediatric Short-Stay Unit and Emergency Department; and Peter Kozuch, MD, Associate Professor, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Mount Sinai Union Square.

“Art in the Heart” at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s

Paintings by Harlem artists are brightening the walls of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s in a new exhibit called “Art in the Heart.”

The display, which was unveiled at a reception on Thursday, February 15, was organized by the hospital’s Diversity Council and Mount Sinai Heart, with support from the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. It features eleven vibrant paintings by three artists: Whitney Bilotta, Tiffany B. Chanel, and Ria Nicole.

The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory intends to display a regular rotation of local artists’ work with themes of the heart, love, and healing.

“At Mount Sinai Heart we are concerned with the health and healing of the whole person,” says Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President of Cardiac Services for the Mount Sinai Health System. “Visual artwork in the hospital setting has been shown to reduce stress and pain, and facilitate healing. We are delighted to have the work of community artists on display in our Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.”

Above, two paintings by Ria Nicole, and a painting by Whitney Bilotta.

Learning How to Save a Life

Members of the Mount Sinai Heart team at the CPR Fair.

Matilda Mullen, RN, provided life-saving demonstrations at The Mount Sinai Hospital community health fair.

More than 250 attendees—including 66 public school students—recently received hands-on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) instruction at community health fairs organized by the Mount Sinai Health System.

Held at four Health System campuses, the events aimed to increase awareness of sudden cardiac arrest, a condition that can only be treated by immediate, correct use of CPR or AED. According to the American Heart Association, each year more than 350,000 adults and children will experience the often fatal condition.

“If CPR and/or AED are used within minutes to resuscitate a person who experiences sudden cardiac arrest, it may help to save a life,” says Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services, Mount Sinai Health System. “With proper knowledge and skills, anyone can save a life during an emergency.”

New Unit Opens at Mount Sinai Heart

In October, Mount Sinai Heart opened its new Cardiac Intensive Care services unit at The Mount Sinai Hospital, complete with 10 critical care beds for acutely ill patients and 10 step-down beds. The unit was designed by a team of physicians, nurses, and administrative leaders from Mount Sinai Heart, whose goal was to deliver efficient, high-quality care while maximizing patient safety. “We think this is the optimal environment for patients and families,” says Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President of Cardiac Services, Mount Sinai Health System. “A single cardiac team now cares for the patient from admission to the critical care unit through discharge, guaranteeing continuity of care in its truest sense.” The new cardiac unit allows patients to be discharged directly from step-down beds, which minimizes in-hospital transfers.

 

Attending the ribbon-cutting event were, from left: Shirish Huprikar, MD, Chief  Medical Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital; David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital; Samin K. Sharma, MD, Director, Clinical and Interventional Cardiology; Matthew Tomey, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine (Cardiology); Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director, Mount Sinai Heart; Annapoorna Kini, MD, Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory; Roopa Kohli-Seth, MD, Director, Institute for Critical Care Medicine; Umesh Gidwani, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine); Adel M. Bassily-Marcus, MD, Associate Professor, Surgery; and Kimberley Ennis, DNP, ANP-BC, Chief Nurse Manager, Critical Care Unit.

Cholesterol Fairs Foster Heart Health

From left: Michelle Milano, RN; Rose Destina, RN; and Robin Knox, RN, of the Arrhythmia Institute at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, provided health screenings at the Cholesterol Fair.

“Keeping your cholesterol levels healthy is a great way to lower your chances of getting heart disease or having a stroke. But first, you have to know your numbers,” says Joan E. Joseph, MHA, BSN, RN, Nurse Manager of the Arrhythmia Institute at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, an organizer of the Mount Sinai Health System’s annual Cholesterol Fair. On Friday, September 15, more than 130 people attended the event at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, which was one of five held that day at Health System hospitals. Participants received free cholesterol, blood pressure, and body mass index screenings along with counseling on how to manage overall heart health. Also, nutritionists provided cooking tips, and pharmacists advised on the use and storage of medications. Ms. Joseph says, “With these fairs, we work toward helping our corner of the world become healthier.”

Mount Sinai Cardiologist Awarded 2017 Ellis Island Medal of Honor

Annapoorna S. Kini, MD

In a ceremony held on Ellis Island in May, Annapoorna S. Kini, MD, Zena and Michael A. Wiener Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at The Mount Sinai Hospital, was among an esteemed group of recipients of the 2017 Ellis Island Medal of Honor. The award exalts the immigrant experience and recognizes individuals who impart their unique talents and wealth of knowledge to the American public.

Dr. Kini is a native of Mangaluru—also known as Mangalore— India, and has been a vital member of the Mount Sinai community for two decades. A renowned cardiologist, she performs more minimally invasive coronary procedures than any female interventionist in the United States, with a complication rate of less than .5 percent. “Through Dr. Kini’s joint-leadership, the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of Mount Sinai Heart offers patients unparalleled excellence and safety in interventional cardiology care. We congratulate her on this honor,” says 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.

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