Our weekend employees are absolutely stellar, and we don’t get to tell them that enough. Last weekend we had a wonderful opportunity to round and thank them for their incredible contributions to our patients and community.
This week is Patient Experience Week, and I was happy to see so many of you participate in the many events we had going on this week.
I’m incredibly thankful to every one of you who connect with our patients and keep them safe daily. You are doing an extraordinary job—it’s apparent both from patient comments and letters and our exceptional quality scores. We asked you how you contribute to an exceptional patient experience and you answered:
“Many of the patients at the Friedman Health Center are in the performing arts industry, so they can be very talkative and entertaining. The Medical Assistants here spend time chatting with them and making them feel welcome.”
–Dominique Stennett, MHA
Practice Manager, Friedman Health Center for Performing Arts
“I am so proud of our team here in 10 Dazian pods A and B. Earlier this week, we had 2 floats, a PCA and a nurse. We tried to welcome them like a family, orient them to our unit, and routines and give them assignments fairly. We treat each other with respect and work as one!”
–Maria Theresa (Techie) M. Mangalindan, BSN, RN, BC
10Dazian Pod A and B
“We work with very sick and often weak patients. Some of them don’t have health aides or family members that come to their appointments. Small things like helping them sit down or change their clothes can make the difference.”
-Ramonita Valle
Nurse Care Technician at Union Square Oncology
These are just a few examples.
Our focus on the patient experience will continue as we welcome and care for our patients and each other—every step of the way. I hope you keep sharing your successes and challenges with us. I’ve said it before: Your Voice Counts. The patient experience begins with you.
Lab Week is April 22-April 28. Medical laboratory professionals are vital healthcare detectives at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. They uncover and provide information that assists physicians in patient diagnosis and treatment. They have extensive skill in using biomedical instruments, technology and computers to retrieve and evaluate this data. Patients and physicians gain important insight from their work.
We have 150 lab employees at MSBI, including Petrie, Chelsea, and Union Square locations as well as MD and PhD directors in blood bank, clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, and flow cytometry. We also have surgical pathologists utilizing our work in histology for patient diagnosis.
On April 26, the lab celebrated by sharing a meal together with the delicious addition of Lab Week cookies!
Thanks to our lab professionals for all they do.
April is Occupational Therapy Month. Mount Sinai Beth Israel has occupational therapists that provide excellent care in bringing patients back to functionality in their lives during or after their illness. Our patients benefit from their kindness, patience, and understanding of their unique needs. There are many branches of occupational therapy, and each one is very different. We have occupational therapists that span many practice environments and help many patients.
Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s inpatient occupational therapists treat patients in the acute care setting and prepare them for their discharge from the hospital. Inpatient occupational therapists work directly with patients to educate them on proper body mechanics for daily tasks like sitting and walking, as well as how to achieve their other life goals, including leisure activities they enjoy. They take into account the patient’s physical state as well as their belief system, lifestyle, and family support.
“We treat the entire person. Our goal is to get them back to normal and enjoying the things they used to enjoy,” said Elliot Katz, OTR/L.
If you would like to request an inpatient consult for occupational therapy please do so through PRISM. If you have any questions, please call (212) 420-2763.
Inpatient OTs Elliot Katz, OTL/R; Allison L Ming, OTL/R.
MSBI Inpatient occupational therapists and physical therapists celebrate OT Month. Middle row: inpatient OTs Elliot Katz, OTL/R; Allison L Ming, OTL/R.
Mount Sinai Union Square’s exceptional outpatient occupational therapists at Union Square include certified hand therapists (CHTs). They focus their treatment on orthopedic injuries of the upper extremity. They are experts in evaluating, treating, and splinting the elbow, wrist, and hand.
“I am an energetic person and who likes to interact with people. It’s rewarding to be able to help people while building a lasting rapport with them,” said Conor O’Brien, OTR/L.
To schedule an appointment with a rehab occupational therapist at Union Square, please call (212) 844-8750.
Jenine Albright, MS, OT at Union Square: fitting a custom orthotic.
Conor O’Brien, MS, OT at Union Square: performing manual therapy.
Mount Sinai Beth Israel also currently has four inpatient full-time behavioral health occupational therapists, an occupational therapist assistant, and an occupational therapist managing the outpatient psychiatry clinic. Under the Chief of Occupational Therapy Mary Petti-Weber, over the last 25+ year, occupational therapists at MSBI have helped patients affected by symptoms of mental illness “live life to the fullest” by engaging in meaningful occupations of daily living. Occupational therapists develop strong bonds with their patients by helping them maximize goals in self-care, cognition, vocation, and leisure, or return to work/school. For example, occupational therapy groups include cooking, sleep hygiene education, symptom & stress management, and shaving or painting one’s nails.
Jessica Tyrrell, MS, OTR/L says, “The groups give them a great outlet for self-expression while learning skills to achieve greater functional outcome when discharged. It’s rewarding to watch them grow and resume their life role(s) after spending time with us.”
Some of our Behavioral Health OTs: Heather Fitzsimmons, MS OTR/L; Jessica Tyrrell, MS OTR/L; Chrystelle Robinson, MS OTR/L; Carlton Mattison, OTA.
Past and present Behavioral Health OTs joined together for going away party of Pamela Bellamy OTA, 20 yrs at MSBI. From left to right, front row: Margie Hoffman, MS OTR/L; Lilya Berns, MS OTR/L; Mary Petti-Weber, MS OTR/L Chief of OT; Kimberly Metzger, MS OTR/L; Simone Allen MS OTR/L; Carlton Mattison, OTA; Rachel Rusi MS OTR/L. Back row, from left to right: Jessica Tyrrell, MS OTR/L; Pamela Bellamy, OTA; Chrystelle Robinson, MS OTR/L; Henry Hanif, MS OTR/L.
Yesterday, we got to hear from many of our employees who visited Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Our Chief Nursing Officer Christine Mahoney, nurse manager Colleen Fischer, and ICU registered nurse Diego Giraldo all served in Fajardo, Puerto Rico on trips organized by Mount Sinai. They often triaged almost 200 patients a day in a tent that served as a clinic outside a larger hospital. Their patients had limited access to water, prescriptions, electricity, and basic care.
Team One medical volunteers in Fajardo, Puerto, Rico, front row, from left: Juan Baez, RN; Melanie Pratts, RN; Christine Mahoney, MS, RN; Stacey A. Conklin, MSN, MS, RN; and Kevin Munjal, MD; back row, from left: Colleen Fischer, RN; Karendip Kaur Braich, MD; Helen Rosario, RN; Emma Kaplan-Lewis, MD; and Erin Hogan, RN.
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| Team Two preparing to leave New York for Puerto Rico, front row, from left: Tamairi Vildoso, RN; Madeline Hernandez, RN; Gail Haynes, RN; and Stephanie Ortiz, MD; back row, from left: Samantha Rose, NP; Diego Giraldo, RN; Sarah Schaefer, MD; Trina Cosme, RN; Sam Kim, MD, and Annette King, NP. | Marisol Salichs, RN and Karen James, NP, who traveled with a group organized by 1199-SEIU and NYSNA. |
1199-SEIU and NYSNA organized a trip that included nephrology nurse practitioner Karen James and ICU registered nurse Marisol Salichs. They had pop-up clinics in the mountains and made home visits to those who could not travel. They had to provide a wide range of care with very limited supplies.
Sports Medicine doctor Girardo Miranda-Comas, MD, used his experience providing care on the go with sports teams. He was born and raised in Puerto Rico and has been back to provide care in various communities and visit family many times. We also heard from Taina Rivera about her work securing food for the victims of the hurricane.
Here are some of their photos of the destruction and the environments they worked in while they were there:
There are probably many more in our community who have helped out, and I hope you will let us know about your experience. I am thankful for your kindness and bravery.
In the presentation yesterday, our colleagues mentioned that one of the greatest needs was mental and emotional support. Colleen said that often the best medicine they could offer was human connection or even a free hug. This kind of care is what makes MSBI stand out, and I couldn’t be prouder to work alongside these courageous men and women.
Our Otolaryngology and Head and Neck team at Union Square provides extraordinary care.
Many of the patients who seek out care with this team have travelled from far and wide. The staff does a great job working across many departments to ensure the patients can get tests and other procedures completed in the same day to make care as seamless and convenient as possible.
The team has discovered that they can serve their patients best by staying connected to, and caring for, each other. They are a tight-knit group who stick together every step of the way. They even have established a committee that organizes celebrations for birthdays, work milestones, and other holidays. All of this helps foster a strong sense of community and family. By taking care of each other, they can better support their patients.
We have many top-notch physicians in this department and are also proud to work alongside Dr. Mark Urken and his research foundation, the Thyroid, Head and Neck Cancer (THANC) Foundation.
Thank you so much for all you do.
