Michael A. Crane, MD, MPH, right, gathered with speakers, from left, the Rev. James Hayes, MA, MDiv; the Rev. Amy Strano, MDiv; and Roberto Lucchini, MD, near a plaque outside Guggenheim Pavilion in observance of the World Trade Center attacks.

The 18th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks was solemnly observed on Wednesday, September 11, at Stern Auditorium, in an event led by Michael A. Crane, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the World Trade Center (WTC) Clinical Center of Excellence (CCE) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. More than 22,000 responders are being treated at Mount Sinai’s Center, which is the largest in the World Trade Center Health Program.

At the event, about a dozen staff teams presented videos about their roles in caring for 9/11 patients, in fields such as clinical care, billing, data management, and claims certification. “I think it’s important for us—because we work with this every day—to take a moment to feel proud of the work that we do,” Dr. Crane told the attendees. “While we will always feel the sorrow, let’s not be afraid also to celebrate the excellent work that you do.”

Speakers included Manish Arora, PhD, MPH, the Edith J. Baerwald Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Sandra M. Lowe, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine, and Medical Director of Mount Sinai WTC CCE Mental Health Program; and Roberto Lucchini, MD, Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, and Director of the WTC CCE Data Center. Another speaker was the Rev. James Hayes, MA, MDiv, a chaplain for The Mount Sinai Hospital, who was present when the World Trade Center towers fell and spent the next year ministering at the site. “You are a blessing to every first responder and every person who spent time at Ground Zero,” Father Hayes told the attendees. “You provide us with respect and hope.”   

Mickie Brown, RN, led a session on mindfulness for staff members involved in the care of 9/11 responders. The meditation, with the theme of loving kindness, began and ended with the tone of a bell.

The event was preceded by a special mindfulness session attended by about 30 staff members of Mount Sinai’s WTC CCE. “On this day—which has left a mark in the history of our world, our country, and our personal lives—we want to honor those who have suffered and those who we have lost, and also the work we have done,” said the leader of the session, Mickie Brown, RN, Clinical Manager of Education, Mindfulness and Patient Well-Being at the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health, home of the Mount Sinai World Trade Center Clinical Center of Excellence.

The session focused on an ancient meditation called Metta, or loving kindness, which Ms. Brown said could serve as “an antidote to anger and fear.” Participants sat in a quiet conference room and were invited to contemplate the phrases “may I be well; may I be happy; may I be free from suffering.” They were asked to gradually broaden those wishes to friends and loved ones, to strangers, to those who have done harm—to lead them toward peace and change—and finally to all beings. “Mindfulness sessions like this provide staff members with a set of evidence-based tools to maintain balance,” Ms. Brown said, “and ensure our capacity to be present to continue to serve the unique patient population that we care for.”

Benefactors Jay Lieberman, center, and Penny Lieberman, with from left: Michael L. Marin, MD, The Jacobson Professor of Surgery and Chair, Department of Surgery, along with Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery surgeons Lester Silver, MD; Marco A. Harmaty, MD; Philip J. Torina, MD; Peter Taub, MD; Mark R. Sultan, MD; and Alice S. Yao, MD.

The Derfner-Lieberman Family Center for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery was officially unveiled Tuesday, July 30, at a ribbon-cutting held at the May Center for Mount Sinai Doctors. The facility was made possible through a $6 million gift from Jay Lieberman, trustee of the Derfner Foundation and member of the Department of Surgery Advisory Board.

Featuring first-of-its-kind technology, each of the nine modern private patient exam rooms is equipped with a 55-inch touchscreen Microsoft HUB computer, allowing for a more comprehensive and interactive review of presurgical planning; better visualization of anticipated surgical results following reconstructive surgery for a cancer diagnosis, an accident, or gender-affirming procedures; and a more enhanced consultation experience for the patient and the surgeon.

Norma Calame, Director, Human Resources, center, and Carol Moutaftsis, Administrative Manager, Human Resources, far right, celebrated with honorees that included, from left: Nelson Barayuga, MT, Assistant Director, Laboratory (Team of the Year); Daniella Stephen, MPH, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Clinical Program Manager, Nursing Quality (Service Excellence); Hakima Aouchiche, MD, Critical Care Medicine (Physician of the Year); Roseller Tagupa, MT, Director, Laboratory (Team of the Year); and Anthony Auditore, MNST, RN, NE-BC, Nurse Manager, Hemodialysis and 3 East (Manager of the Year).

Mount Sinai Queens recently marked 20 years of delivering high-quality health care to Queens residents, hosting jubilant hospital-wide celebrations that spotlighted its transformation from a small community hospital into a world-class institution since it joined The Mount Sinai Hospital in 1999. As part of the festivities, Mount Sinai leadership honored outstanding hospital staff and FDNY-EMS partners for providing skilled and compassionate patient care and service, every day.

Today, its six-story, 140,000-square-foot, $180 million Pavilion is home to Mount Sinai Doctors, new operating rooms and an interventional radiology suite, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Emergency Department, and more, serving as a beacon of health care excellence in the borough.

Mount Sinai Queens Executive Director Caryn A. Schwab with Employee of the Year Rashid Larry, RT, Lead CT Technician, Radiology.

Most recently, Mount Sinai Queens opened a first-of-its-kind Cerebrovascular Stroke Center—introducing technology never before used in the United States—to provide the fastest and most efficient treatment for people experiencing the most devastating forms of stroke.

“Everyone on our staff, from doctors and nurses to technicians and housekeepers, are key to our accomplishments and future success,” said Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director of Mount Sinai Queens. “We recognize and celebrate their contributions because they are extraordinary, and we are fortunate to have a great group of people working toward our shared mission.”

Donald Mashni, PharmD, right, with David L. Reich, MD, center, and José Almonte, Director, Specialty Pharmacy Call Center.

A new option is now available for Mount Sinai Health System patients and employees who have rare or chronic disorders that require complex medications such as immunotherapy or chemotherapy—the Mount Sinai Specialty Pharmacy. The facility, which opened in June at The Mount Sinai Hospital, helps patients seek insurance approval and financial assistance, and relieves the administrative burden of physicians, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.

“The Mount Sinai Specialty Pharmacy will offer patient-focused, convenient, and affordable services for all our patients,” says Donald Mashni, PharmD, Director, Specialty and Outpatient Pharmacy, Mount Sinai Health System. Specialty pharmacies dispense complex medications that require special storage and handling and ongoing clinical support and monitoring by specially trained pharmacists.

When patients and doctors present specialty prescriptions to the Mount Sinai Specialty Pharmacy, the pharmacy staff can assume the important tasks of securing insurance approval, financial assistance, and clinical counseling. Pharmacy staff also coordinate delivery to the patient’s home or to the physician’s office. “Our facility will tie everything together,” Mr. Mashni says. “The goal is to keep all patient care inhouse, from diagnosis through post-treatment follow-up. This approach provides thorough and immediate communication among pharmacists and specialists. It also improves the efficiency and accuracy of the medications.”

For example, one commonly prescribed specialty drug is adalimumab, or Humira, an advanced biologic medication for severe Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Patients inject a pre-filled syringe every other week. The drug must be refrigerated, and each syringe must be used in full and injected in the thigh or stomach, in a different spot each time. The patient should not skip a dose or stop taking the medication without consulting a physician or pharmacist. “Adherence to the treatment schedule is critically important,” Mr. Mashni says. “It maximizes the benefit patients get from the medication and improves outcomes.”

Specialty medications once were a niche market. But advances in drug research mean they are available for many more conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 39 new specialty medications in 2018, according to Specialty Pharmacy Times, and because they can be so costly, specialty drugs are expected to account for almost 50 percent of drug spending by 2020, although they represent only about 2 percent of the total prescriptions filled.

The Mount Sinai Specialty Pharmacy is launching services in therapeutic categories that include HIV, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatology, dermatology, and oncology. It shares space with the Mount Sinai employee pharmacy in the Annenberg Building and functions like a traditional specialty pharmacy but with the advantage of full integration with Mount Sinai’s hospitals and physicians. The Health System also operates two other specialty pharmacies, which are part of the Institute for Advanced Medicine and specialize in treating patients with HIV. They are the West Village Pharmacy, at the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, and the St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Outpatient Pharmacy in the Samuels Clinic at Mount Sinai West.

A new Call Center, adjacent to the Mount Sinai Specialty Pharmacy at The Mount Sinai Hospital, is centralizing all of the Health System’s specialty pharmacy services and fulfillment, with Call Center staff coordinating prior authorization, financial assistance, and delivery of medications. These services are essential as the Mount Sinai Specialty Pharmacy is seeking accreditation from URAC, the gold-standard accrediting body for specialty pharmacies. URAC accreditation will allow the pharmacy to gain access to more limited-distribution drugs and get contracts with more insurance plans.

“The Specialty Pharmacy is enabling Mount Sinai to provide seamless service for patients with complex and chronic illnesses, from diagnosis through treatment and long-term aftercare,” says David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Mount Sinai Hospital, and President of Mount Sinai Queens.