An Unexpected ED Patient by Dr. Jeremy Boal

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | MSBI

We recently had a unique patient in the MSBI emergency room.  As always, our team provided the best and most compassionate care.

Last month, a woman came to our Emergency Department with her very sick Shitz Shu. We don’t care for dogs typically, but Laura Hogrefe, RN, could see that the dog needed care immediately—it wasn’t breathing well and almost lifeless. She called 911 and 411 to see if someone could transport the dog to a vet, but the wait was going to be over a day, and this dog didn’t have that kind of time.

Laura and Gloria Gonzales, PCA, located a nearby veterinarian and got the woman and her pup in a cab to the vet’s office.  By this time, Laura had hooked the dog up to an oxygen tank to help him breathe.  Gloria accompanied the woman and the dog in the cab, carrying the oxygen tank next to the dog.  When they reached Fifth Avenue, the Pride Parade blocked the cab’s progress, and the woman continued on foot the last few blocks to arrive at the veterinarian. The entire ED and MSBI team is hoping the woman and her dog made it safely to the vet.

Laura Hogrefe, RN, third from the left, with many members of the ED team who work nights and evenings.

Gloria Gonzales, PCA, who helped transport the dog to a veterinarian.

The compassion our ED shows daily for people and pups alike has me prouder than ever to work at MSBI.

Patients Honor Oncology Nurses

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | MSBI

On Tuesday, July 17, The Blavatnik Family-Chelsea Medical Center of Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Union Square held pinning ceremonies for oncology-certified nurses and nurse practitioners.  We are proud that 45% of all eligible certified RN’s and 60% of all eligible NP’s are oncology-certified. The certification demonstrates their dedication to excellent patient care, the pursuit of scholarship and the commitment to our oncology patients and their families. As a special surprise, we had our oncology patients “pin” the staff.

Some of the words our patients shared were:

“Thank you for making this experience so much better than I thought it would be.”

“You take care of me with great care and love.”

“I am so grateful that you didn’t just take care of my grandma, you took care of me.”

Click the photos below to see more.

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Teamwork in our Weight Loss Surgery and Endocrine Surgery Programs by Dr. Jeremy Boal

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | MSBI

This week, I’d like to recognize our Weight Loss Surgery and Endocrine Surgery Programs. The teams who care for these patients are changing lives and helping their patients to stick with their goals, even when it seems like a long road.

William Inabnet, MD, FACS, began the Weight Loss Surgery Program just over three years ago at Union Square and Petrie and recruited Paul Thodiyil, MD, shortly after to serve as Section Chief of Bariatric Surgery. I am so thankful for their guidance and dedication in building such a strong team. Our other excellent physicians in this specialty include Yulia Zak, MD, Jerome Taylor, MD, and Hunysuk Suh, MD. Richard Friedman, MD, and Michael Leitman, MD, also practice with this team. Dr. Friedman has been with MSBI for more than 20 years and Dr. Leitman is the Chief of General Surgery for MSBI Dean for Graduate Medical Education.

It’s clear to see this team of nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical and administrative assistants, and others, care deeply about each other and their patients.

Many bariatric team members: Tram B. Trau, PA; Virginia Pena; Dejanira Torrez; Coraly Perez; Carmen Suarez; Maurice Carper; Dajon Greene; Audrey Arcuri, MSN, APN, FNP-BC.

William Inabnet, MD, and Emily Then, medical assistant and Wilmarie Romero, administrative assistant.

Our patients in this program visit with us numerous times. Insurance authorization requires an abundance of documentation and often requires six months of preparation and pre-operative medical optimization. The team works hard to coordinate these appointments and make it easy for patients to stay on track. Communication is vital, and the entire group meets weekly to discuss cases and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Furthermore, the transformation patients go through takes courage and persistence, and our team helps inspire them.

Dr. Inabnet says, “I’m thankful our team takes a deep dive into the psychosocial wellness of our patients while they are on a life-long journey.”

Because of this, our program has experienced exponential growth and has an exceptional record of safety and quality, based on national standards.

Photos of the rest of the team can be seen by clicking below. 

Dr. Hyunsuk Suh and administrative assistant, Nicole Fuentes.

Physician assistant Tram B. Trau, PA-C and nurse practitioner Audrey Arcuri, MSN, APN, FNP-BC.

Paul Thodiyil, MD

Michael Leitman, MD

Yulia Zak, MD, and Coraly Perez, administrative assistant.

Clinical nutrition coordinator Rebecca Rudel.

Richard Friedman, MD

Dr. Jerome Taylor and Assistant Dejanira Torres at the Department Of Surgery BBQ 2018 in Central Park.

This team is also an integral part of our larger Endocrine Surgery Program, and Dr. Suh and Dr. Inabnet use some of the most sophisticated surgery techniques in the country. In fact, our program has had many “firsts” in the area of robotic and remote access “scarless” thyroid surgery.  They have been instrumental in introducing these techniques to the United States and have received surgeons from around the world who travel to Mount Sinai Beth Israel to learn.

These programs are wonderful assets to our MSBI and Downtown network, and I’m so grateful for their care and encouragement for our patients.

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Mount Sinai Heart Team Performs First Venous Procedure at Union Square

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | MSBI

On July 11, 2018 the Mount Sinai Heart team performed their first venous procedure at the newly remodeled ambulatory location at  Mount Sinai Union Square. Mount Sinai Heart at Union Square now provides services by The Center for Vein and Vascular Care that were previously provided at their other locations in the Murray Hill district and Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

The venous procedure treats dilated varicose veins  in a minimally-invasive way. The procedure leaves the patient with minimal or no scar and a shorter recovery time than alternative vascular procedures. Having this procedure available at Union Square ensures patients with venous and cardiac conditions can receive their care in one place. Thanks to our incredible team for their dedication.

Mikko Tessalona (Administrative Program Coordinator), Patricia Martinez (Clinical Support Assistant), Gulzar Balich (Clinical Coordinator), Ossama Samuel, MD (Director of Ambulatory Cardiology MSUS Heart), Jan Sloves (Director, Vascular Imaging), Ramesh Gowda, MD (Director, Endovascular Services and Interventional Cardiology).

We Win the Gold Again by Dr. Jeremy Boal

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | MSBI, Uncategorized

I am delighted to report that, once again, Mount Sinai Beth Israel has won a host of awards for stroke, heart attack, and heart failure care. Here are our awards for 2017:

  • Mission: Lifeline® Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award in STEMI
  • American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and Target: Stroke Elite Plus
  • American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll

What impresses me most is the exceptional interdisciplinary teamwork that leads to these outcomes.

In the community, Emergency Medical Technicians and Medics do an incredible job of providing initial assessment and care and getting patients to us quickly and safely.

All of the employees in the Emergency Department play a key role in triaging and treating patients while notifying the teams for our Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Cardiology, Telemetry, and others that patients are coming their way.

 

These units then provide quick and specialized care for these patients and help see them through to recovery frequently in partnership with our inpatient teams.

Suchin Lin, RN is a heart failure champion on 8 Silver, pictured with Nurse Manager, Ellen Brady, RN.

Many more on our 8 Silver team who take care of our heart failure patients.

Sharon Alexander-Pierre, RN and Fern Caruthes, RN are also heart failure champions on 8 Silver. Here is Sharon Alexander-Pierre, RN with Maria Vallejo, RN, and Ivane Jean Charles, RN.

Here is our team of pharmacists who focus on heart failure patients: Jessica Wong, Alissa Hui, April Castillo, Tram Thai.

A few members of our STEMI team: Theresa Reynes, RN; Kathleen Kearney, NP; Stephanie Freeo, RN; John Fox, MD; Mary Cronin, RN.

A few more members of our STEMI team: Ramesh Gowda, MD; Nezir Durakovic, CVT; Yumiko Kanei, MD; Glenn Tac-An, CVT; Lena Chang, Director of Nursing; Kathleen Kearney, NP; Hugo Rosero, MD; Rufus Nagbe, CVT.

Members of our stroke team: Arash Yousefi, MD; Christina Marsh, MD; Cristina Schreckinger, MD; Lili Velickovic Ostojic, MD; Nick Lemus Esquival, MD; Terrance Tian, MD; Front row: Nikita Urval, MD; Clover Youn, MD. Not pictured are some of our Stroke Care team members Irene Boniece, MD, Kristine Ortiz, MD, and Myrna Skiut, MD.

The care does not stop there. The patients leave the hospital with a plan that includes follow-up appointments and phone calls, and other guidelines so they can continue their recovery.

I’d also like to give thanks to Monique Bell who helps us track every patient who comes through our doors and ensures that the American Heart Association gets our data.

Through this journey, our patients remain safe, and this is because of the dedication of so many of you.

Monique Bell, coordinator for these programs

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Caring for Kids by Dr. Jeremy Boal

Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | MSBI

I’ve recently heard about so many of our MSBI employees who go above and beyond for children in our community.

Our Pediatrics Department at Union Square has a team of employees who truly love their jobs. Some of them have been at MSBI for more than 20 years and many commute from far away. Like so many here at MSBI, they’ve been through challenges and changes in the past few years, and they continue to provide exceptional service to their patients.

Kids love toys, but having toys in this waiting room is an infection control risk. James McIntosh, Patient Navigator, came up with a very creative solution. He created packets with kids’ activities that are unique to the practice, including a crossword with the physicians’ names. Kids and parents both love to pass the time doing these puzzles. The whole team has created a colorful space for kids, and I am thankful for their patience and creativity in dealing with our youngest patients.

Click on the photo below to scroll through more photos of our Pediatrics team.

Alison Snow, the social worker who leads our cancer support programs, worked with PS6 and a donor to create Kits for KIDS. These backpacks filled with activities, comforting toys, and encouraging artwork created by the PS6 second-graders are given to kids whose parents have cancer. I’m so thankful that she and her team are looking out not only for our patients, but our patients’ loved ones.

Our Emergency Department and Pediatric Observation Unit at Petrie also recently invited kindergarteners from PS33/Chelsea Prep to tour an ambulance and discuss safe habits like wearing a helmet on a bike. Their faces and voices definitely brightened up our campus.

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