Oct 13, 2017 | Community, Featured
Mount Sinai’s medical volunteers awaiting their flight to Puerto Rico.
Three physicians and seven nurses from the Mount Sinai Health System flew to Puerto Rico on Thursday, October 12, to begin a two-week mission to the island, which is still in dire need more than three weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated hospitals and other infrastructure.
The group will provide clinical care to citizens, many of whom have no access to electricity, potable water, medications, or relief from the sweltering heat and humidity.
The Mount Sinai contingent is part of a group of 70 medical professionals from New York State, in a humanitarian initiative developed in collaboration with the Governor’s Office, the State Department of Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Greater New York Hospital Association, the Healthcare Association of New York State, the New York State Nurses Association, and 1199SEIU. Additional groups are expected to deploy to Puerto Rico in the weeks ahead.
Back row from left: Kevin Munjal, MD, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Melanie Pratts, RN, Director of Medical Systems, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai; Helen Rosario, RN, Mount Sinai Brooklyn; and Erin Hogan, RN, The Mount Sinai Hospital. Middle row from left: Colleen Fischer, RN, Nurse Manager, Mount Sinai Beth Israel; Christine Mahoney, RN, MS, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, Mount Sinai Downtown; Juan Baez, RN, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s; and Karendip Kaur Braich, MD, Nephrology Fellow, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Front row from left: Stacey A. Conklin, MS, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Vice President for Patient Care Services, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai; and Emma Kaplan-Lewis, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Oct 9, 2017 | Cardiology, Community
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.”
Oct 9, 2017 | Community, Pediatrics
Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s Pediatric Short Stay Unit received a few special guests in May— kindergarteners from Chelsea’s PS 33 who were studying a “Med School” curriculum—and more visits from the school are on the agenda for this academic year. “I was giving Biology 101 lessons to these children, and they were eating it up,” says C. Anthoney Lim, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, which includes the Short Stay Unit for young patients who require less than 48 hours of hospitalization. Along with their biology lesson, students received new bike helmets and toured an ambulance and the emergency room. In June, the Unit received a second visit from PS 33 when fifth graders came bearing goodie bags filled with books and coloring activities for pediatric patients.
Oct 9, 2017 | Community, Featured
Dennis S. Charney, MD, center, flanked by the female and male winners, Mena Singh and Paul L. Shay, MD, and surrounded by the top team, the Finance Department.
Goals were set, and exceeded, by the Mount Sinai community at the Third Annual Push-Up for Prostate Cancer Challenge. The event on Wednesday, September 6, in the Guggenheim Pavilion, drew attention to men’s health and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, also offering cancer screenings and risk consultations.
Marley Akonnor, Year One Coordinator, Department of Medical Education, at the Push-Up Challenge with Jamie Barnett, a trainer from New York Sports Clubs.
“Every year about 26,000 men die of prostate cancer in the United States,” said Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, the Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Chair in Urology, Mount Sinai Health System, who led the event. To raise awareness of that number, he asked the crowd to do at least 26 pushups—at the event or any other venue—and post a video or photo on social media. He also challenged the 195 staffers in the competition to collectively do 5,000 push-ups—as a “gift” 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. Dr. Charney won the contest in its first year, but did not compete last year because he was recovering from a grave injury.
“A year ago, I couldn’t do one push-up. I was just getting out of the ICU,” Dr. Charney said. “I could not have made the recovery that I did without the support of the Mount Sinai students, the Mount Sinai faculty and staff, literally everybody who works here.”
Dr. Charney did 86 push-ups at this year’s event, and the competitors delivered their gift and more—performing 10,284. The first-place team trophy went to employees in the Department of Finance at The Mount Sinai Hospital, who did 860 push-ups. Paul L. Shay, MD, PGY-3 in Plastic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, came in first among men with 168 push-ups. Mena Singh, a Senior Accountant in Finance, was first among women, with 99 push-ups.
Oct 9, 2017 | Community
This summer, several Mount Sinai Health System departments—through the Office for Diversity and Inclusion’s (ODI) talent pipeline program—hosted and supported 34 interns who aspire to careers in health care administration. High school, college, and graduate students gained exposure in areas including medicine; patient experience; real estate services; information technology (IT); and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health. The Institute for Diversity in Health Management and the America Needs You Fellowship Program joined longstanding partner organizations All Stars Project, Inc.; Greater New York Hospital Association; and Prep for Prep in identifying students of underrepresented backgrounds in health care for these hands-on opportunities. “This year marked the second year of our IT Talent Pipeline Program for high school juniors and the launch of a new, structured experience for all our interns,” says Shana Dacon, Assistant Director, ODI. “Our programs continue to expand, and interns came from a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences, including Jim Arbalaez, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who interned in Mount Sinai West’s Environmental Health & Safety Department.” In addition to their assignments, interns toured the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center and a Mount Sinai Doctors Faculty Practice clinic, and a Mount Sinai Doctors Faculty Practice clinic, and attended panels featuring Mount Sinai Health System leaders. Says Adetokunbo Oseni, a Master’s degree candidate at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia, of his experience: “I’m inspired to be a lifelong learner. I’ve learned it is OK not to know everything—as long as you are comfortable asking questions and are willing to learn.”
