Corporate Service Center Heritage of Latinx Alliance Committee and Members at The Father’s Heart Ministry in Lower Manhattan
Members of HOLA, the Heritage of LatinX Alliance Employee Resource Group at Mount Sinai Health System, in April once again partnered with The Father’s Heart Ministries for a community event.
HOLA member Paul Sanabria, Project Manager, Quality Operations, and Kelley Gonzalez, Trainer I, Application Training, Digital and Technology Partners, The Mount Sinai Hospital, arranged for volunteers to return on Saturday, April 23, to help at the organization’s soup kitchen and food pantry located in Lower Manhattan.
This time each HOLA member took on a different task in order to get a different experience while participating in the program. This experience has allowed the volunteers to meet many new people. They were able to serve 1,016 thankful guests.
“This initiative shows HOLA continuous efforts to give back to the community, while representing Mount Sinai Health System’s values of commitment to caring,” says Shawn Lee, Associate Director of Operations, Central Billing Office, Faculty Practice Associates. “The experience also reminds us that we should appreciate what we have and how important it is to help those in need of some assistance.”
The Father Heart Ministries offers a variety of programs, such as the soup kitchen and food pantry, tutoring, and job training programs.
HOLA members Ruben Rodriguez, left, and Regina Rivera hard at work in the kitchen prepping breakfast packages for guests
Bonnie Schwartz, an analyst for Mount Sinai’s Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program in the Department of Surgery, shared her experiences as a person with a disability.
Workers with disabilities should know their rights and be proactive in asking for interpreters or other accommodations, said Bonnie Schwartz, who is a Quality Improvement Research Analyst for Mount Sinai’s Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, and is deaf. “Mount Sinai always has honored and respected my requests,” Ms. Schwartz said in a virtual talk. The session, “An Employee’s Perspective: Living with a Disability—Advocacy and Support in the Workplace,” may be viewed here.
The talk was part of the second annual Raising Disability Awareness Virtual Talk Series for Disability Awareness Month. It featured speakers from around the Mount Sinai Health System and the community to raise awareness and promote an inclusive and equitable workplace and health care environment for people with disabilities.
“Psychological, physical, and social barriers make it more difficult for employees with disabilities to be successful in the workforce,” said Ms. Schwartz, who shared her experiences as a person who identifies as having a disability. Only about 35 percent of people with disabilities in America are present in the workforce, she said, citing figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. She explained that fear of disclosure of a disability and how it will be perceived, communication barriers, and the stigma associated with having a disability are just a few of the obstacles.
Ms. Schwartz said her disability was especially challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because masks are in the way, reading lips as a deaf or hard-of-hearing person is impossible. “Many people are not aware that a face mask can be considered a physical barrier for people like me, who rely on reading lips and facial clues,” she said. During COVID-19, Ms. Schwartz made an effort to educate people about accessible options such as clear masks. Some masks are created with transparent screens in front of the mouth to allow for easier lip-reading.
Based on her experiences, Ms. Schwartz recommended that employers avoid making assumptions, educate themselves on different disabilities and accommodations, and be flexible. She also explained that employees should know their rights, educate themselves, ask questions, and research the company’s best practices and disability information before working for them.
For Mount Sinai employee accommodations requests, staff may reach out to Labor Relations at their site. To learn more about the services offered for patients, please visit the Language Services webpage.
Mount Sinai recognized Doctors Day on Wednesday, March 30, with special events throughout the Health System.
Banners were hung at Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West, and nurses handed out chocolate bars. The Nursing Department at Mount Sinai Morningside hosted the annual Physician of the Year Award ceremony, with a Zoom call for those unable to attend in person.
At New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Beth Israel, cookies were distributed to physicians during rounding. Chocolates were distributed at The Mount Sinai Hospital and at Mount Sinai South Nassau, breakfast bags were distributed to practitioners with a selection of eat-at-your-desk items in standard, kosher and vegan options
In honor of the special day, senior leaders of the Mount Sinai Health System issued the following statement:
National Doctors Day is a day for us to recognize the roughly 7,000 employed and voluntary faculty—plus our 2,582 residents and clinical fellows—across the Mount Sinai Health System.
This is the third National Doctors Day to take place during the pandemic. Throughout this time—whether you were caring for COVID-19 patients as part of your regular duties or pitching in during a surge, adapting your practice to telemedicine and new infection control measures, providing life-saving procedures under challenging conditions, or helping with one of the biggest mass vaccination efforts we have ever seen—you have found a way to always go above and beyond to heal and care for our patients, employees, and community
Whether you practice primary or specialty care, in an inpatient or ambulatory setting, on the floors or in the ORs, at a hospital or in the community, you remain dedicated to our mission of compassionate care and innovative education and research.
You are healers, innovators, collaborators, colleagues, and friends; champions for excellence; leaders, teachers, and team members. You have put in long hours and continue to go the extra mile every single day to ensure that our patients receive the care and caring they need and deserve. Appreciation activities and events are planned throughout the Health System, celebrating you and recognizing Mount Sinai’s outstanding residents, fellows, and faculty physicians.
As we say every year, one day does not seem adequate to fully acknowledge what Mount Sinai physicians mean to us, our patients, and our larger community. We thank you sincerely for your devotion and selflessness, now and always.
Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System
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
Margaret Pastuszko, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer, Mount Sinai Health System
Vicki R. LoPachin, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Mount Sinai Health System
Eliana Cardozo, DO, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, with a patient. Photo taken before the pandemic.
While it is important for physicians to skillfully and compassionately care for patients, specific competencies may improve the experience for patients with disabilities, said Jenny Lieberman, PhD, Senior Occupational Therapy Rehabilitation Specialist at the Department of Rehabilitation, Medicine, and Human Performance, who was the featured speaker for a virtual talk. The session, “Building Physician Skills and Competencies in the Care of People with Disabilities,” may be viewed here.
The talk was part of the third annual Raising Disability Awareness Virtual Talk Series launched for Disability Awareness Month. The series featured speakers from the Mount Sinai Health System and the community to raise awareness and promote an inclusive and equitable workplace and health care environment for people with disabilities.
Patients with disabilities may face a wide range of neurological, orthopedic, or medical challenges, said Dr. Lieberman, who is an occupational therapist, researcher, and educator. “There are a varying range of diagnoses,” she said. “But many times the presentation will be similar when it comes to their disability. The worst thing that we could possibly do to any patient that comes through our doors is to make them feel invisible. This is their life. This is what they’re living on the day to day. So it’s really important to recognize them so they feel they are heard, and not invisible.”
The first key is knowledge, Dr. Lieberman said. Having awareness of specific secondary diagnoses that develop is key to providing good care—for example, knowing that a person with a spinal injury also could develop urinary tract infections, skin irritation, or autonomic dysreflexia, a sudden increase in heart rate blood pressure. Assessments and evaluations often differ for people with disabilities during medical appointments. For example, only 5 percent of people who use wheelchairs are weighed during their visits, which affects proper dosage of medication and management of their health, Dr. Lieberman said. The solution may be using a lift or an assessment table with a scale. Even if you cannot weigh them during the visit, you can validate their concerns by acknowledging your awareness that this is a problem that needs a solution.
Tasks like weighing patients, conducting secondary diagnoses, and administering medication might require different equipment and accommodations. Dr. Lieberman recommends to “be aware if someone is coming to you with a disability,” she said “The support services, access, and requirements should be in place beforehand to ensure that they get the treatment they need.”
People with disabilities often feel invisible or viewed as incompetent during their health care experiences. They also do not receive adequate information about treatments and interventions, often have access limitations, have to advocate for themselves, and may have trouble getting the financial or insurance support they need. Dr. Lieberman said clinicians can address these important issues if they are culturally competent and understand this population’s experiences.
Dr. Lieberman also discussed ways clinicians can ensure that patients with disabilities are heard: “Do a thorough chart review before you see the patient. Introduce yourself. Acknowledge their history, ask them if they’re still experienced the symptoms they were previously experiencing, and validate their concerns and symptoms,” she said. “While all of this seems very obvious to do, it doesn’t translate to our patients. They often don’t realize that we have looked into their chart and we actually have some backstory on them.”
In the end, Dr. Lieberman suggested that physicians and other providers always be empathetic and patient. They should create an environment that makes everyone feel safe and comfortable and speak to a person with a disability in language they are able understand so they can actively participate in their care plan.
Angie, a then 34-year-old Spanish-speaking patient with Down syndrome admitted with acute COVID-19, received personalized care, language services, and in-person visits from her loved ones that contributed to her recovery.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, New Yorkers with disabilities have faced challenges and inequities in several areas, including employment, vaccines, and housing. Representatives from the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) discussed these issues in a virtual talk. The session, “The Aftermath of COVID-19 in New York City,” can be viewed here.
The talk was part of the Raising Disability Awareness Virtual Talk Series, launched by ODI in 2020 for Disability Awareness Month in October, which featured speakers from around the Mount Sinai Health System and the community to raise awareness and promote an inclusive and equitable workplace and health care environment for people with disabilities.
Panelist Eliezer Ramos, a Business Engagement Associate for the NYC: ATWORK Employment Initiative at MOPD, addressed the importance of increasing resources to the population after the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our goal is to make New York City the most accessible city in the world,” he said. According to Mr. Ramos, “People with disabilities are more than twice as likely to live in poverty. Unemployment rates for New Yorkers with disabilities increased more quickly during COVID-19. And they’ve remained the highest they’ve ever been.”
MOPD aims to improve the quality of life for New Yorkers with disabilities, focusing on transportation, employment, financial empowerment, education, technology, housing, health, and access. The hope is that MOPD can expand services in all areas to improve the day-to-day experiences of people with disabilities, Mr. Ramos said. Working with the city and its partners to improve transportation, enhance recruitment for internships and job opportunities, and bridge the digital divide are a few ways MOPD is working for people with disabilities. A report on the city’s current and planned initiatives for people with disabilities is at AccessibleNYC , Mr. Ramos said.
Job Training and the Digital Divide
MOPD uses a hands-on approach to train organizations, such as schools and educational systems, on disability etiquette and awareness. “The more we can do to educate our city, the better,” Mr. Ramos said. Using digital accessibility resources, student groups, and training, the MOPD works to help students reach their goals and inform the educators.
Crystal Rivera, Program Officer for Empowered Cities at MOPD, described how challenging it was connecting people with disabilities with job opportunities. “We had realized a lot of our job seekers were working on job applications and submitting resumes through their mobile phones, because they did not have access to technology,” she said.
Because many job seekers have poor Internet access, and limited use of computers, they had difficulty attending Zoom meetings—which during the pandemic have become an integral part of the working world. “They heavily relied on their cell phone for computer tasks,” Ms. Rivera said. “And many of those who do have computers, lack digital literacy training.” These are some of the disparities that are addressed by Empowered Cities, an initiative to advance equity and economic opportunity for low-income people with disabilities and their families.
A lack of safe and affordable housing is another issue that has disproportionately affected people with disabilities in New York City. Arthur Jacobs, Housing Coordinator at the MOPD, described the steps the office is taking.
Housing and Health
“We continue to develop new accessible units through the set-aside program in the affordable housing lotteries. And that breaks down to a 5 percent set aside for people with mobility disabilities, and a 2 percent set aside for people with vision and or hearing disabilities.” Mr. Jacobs said. New Yorkers who meet requirements can apply for affordable housing through the city’s Housing Connect site.
Mr. Jacobs also shared some insight on how New Yorkers with disabilities can get assistance with post-pandemic housing. “New York City continues to develop new accessible units through the set-aside program in the affordable housing lottery,” Mr. Jacobs said. “It is a great way to ensure that people with disabilities have a space that they can afford and fit their needs.”
Panelists said that like many populations throughout the country, people with disabilities have been affected by misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. “We do hear a lot of fear. There’s a lot of misinformation being passed around, a lot of hesitancy from people that have multiple conditions,” Ms. Rivera said, adding that they may have heard false information that vaccines will worsen their condition or give them COVID-19.
The Language Services team at the Mount Sinai Health System provides language translation and interpretation services to support patients with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency. Assistance includes interpretation services in different modalities for inpatient and outpatient care as well as critical communication with patient’s family members. In response to COVID-19 protocols in place, the team developed patient-facing tools, deployed video interpreting equipment and assistive technology to pro-actively meet the needs of patients and families. To learn more about the services offered, please visit the Language Services webpage.
The Fourth Clinical Climate Change Conference, held virtually on January 7, 2022, provided a path forward for the health care community to address the health effects of the climate crisis and improve patient care through state-of-the-science research and practical, evidence-based tools. This annual continuing medical education conference at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai was attended by more than 250 physicians, medical students, researchers, and allied community leaders from across the United States.
Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, highlighted in her keynote address the importance of focusing on equity in climate and health policy as communities of color suffer disproportionately and are more likely to face other crises, such as poverty.
Vulnerable groups that experience poverty and lack access to health-promoting community infrastructure, housing, and clinical care are often also at a heightened risk of climate-related exposures such as increased temperature, air pollution, and extreme weather events. Dr. Levine emphasized the critical role the health care community must play in addressing social determinants of health through partnership with stakeholders outside of medicine, particularly in areas such as housing, food access, environmental protection, environmental justice, employment and economic opportunity, and transportation.
“Health equity is central to our discussions of climate change, and climate change is not the first threat that these communities have to face. It is one of many,” said Dr. Levine, who completed her residency in pediatrics and adolescent medicine at Mount Sinai and stayed on as a faculty member from 1988 to 1993. “There are other crises that people face, including poverty, that we need to understand as clinicians to provide the best care possible to individuals. We need to explore new ways to understand and to address the social determinants of health if we are going to have meaningful progress.”
She added, “While everyone will have some form of mental health response to climate change, there are populations that are uniquely vulnerable…We need to take a health equity lens to this. For some communities, climate change is not a concern of the future…It’s a concern of today.”
J. Marshall Shepherd, PhD, an international expert on climate and health at the University of Georgia, noted that citizens must move beyond the perspective that climate change is a future concern. Extreme weather is happening now and will continue to increase in frequency and scale.
Robert Wright, MD, MPH, co-director of the Mount Sinai Institute for Exposomic Research, the convening organization, emphasized that climate change affects virtually all aspects of the environment, which in turn affects health. Because of this complexity, understanding the impact of climate on health requires measuring the environment on a grand scale repeatedly over time, he said.
Age, poverty, where you live, and pre-existing health conditions compound the impacts of climate-related environmental exposures. With sophisticated new technologies, we are now able to collect rich exposure data on diverse parameters of our environment, such as air pollution, weather, and temperature in geospatial time, according to Dr. Wright, who is Ethel H. Wise Chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health.
This year’s conference theme focused on mental health, and a major takeaway was that clinicians must prioritize their own well-being to be effective. It is well documented that clinicians are experiencing increased stress due to both the climate crisis and job-related pressures, leading to increased burnout and exodus from clinical care.
“Clinicians are also personally impacted by climate change. We also can feel anxious about the future, feel anger, frustration about the world and what future generations are inheriting from us. We must develop our own resiliency, our own practices, to notice how climate change impacts our own mental well-being and seek assistance as needed,” said Dr. Levine. “We need to consider the pressures that climate change can also put on our provider community. This is of concern of myself and the Surgeon General. We need to think of the supports that clinicians need to continue to provide care during the climate crisis.”
‘Eco-anxiety,’ a term used to describe climate-related stress, coupled with the ongoing stressors of the pandemic and social inequities, must be recognized and managed to protect the health of both providers and patients, experts say.
Young people are also affected by eco-anxiety, and they identify the future of the planet’s health as a key concern. A recent survey of thousands of teenagers and young adults in 10 countries found that more than half were extremely or very worried about climate change and felt sad, anxious, angry, or powerless. That highlights the need for increased supports to improve resiliency and coping in young people, who are often at the forefront of climate change advocacy.
Health providers can take action in both their professional and personal lives by being environmentally conscious and connecting with others to build community to affect positive change. As trusted messengers, they are well positioned to educate patients on the health consequences of climate change and to advocate for solutions that protect and promote the health of all people.
The 2022 conference was organized by the Mount Sinai Institute for Exposomic Research. Conference supporters included the American Lung Association, the American Public Health Association, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Center for Earth Ethics at the Union Theological Seminary, Columbia’s Global Consortium on Climate in Health Education, the Yale Program on Health Care Environmental Sustainability, the Center for Health Equity, Education and Advocacy at the Cambridge Health Alliance and the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health.
