It hasn’t been easy to find vacation time, but I finally did and have been using this week to rest, recover, and recharge. For me, that means a daily schedule of meditation, long walks with my dogs, reading, family time, and catching up on chores. For each of you, it may mean different things. The universal truth though, is that we all need to take care of ourselves especially in light of what we have been through since the pandemic came to our region.  

We have so many useful well-being resources at MSBI. Although we built up and promoted these wellness activities during the crisis, we are committed to prioritizing wellness going forward. And I hope each of you will do that too. The science is clear. When we invest in our own well-being, we are happier, we are more resilient, and we are better able to care for our loved ones, our patients, and each other.  

A few of my favorites are the new recharge spaces on the Petrie campus. Have you been there? This space has immersive sound, scent, visuals, and snacks and the experience is customizable through voice activation. There were many people who helped make these areas possible at MSBI and throughout the system, including our CMO Dr. Barbara Barnett, Chief Hospitalist Dr. Dahlia Rizk, members of our Patient Experience team Nicole Porto and Diana Grillo, and Dr. David Putrino who runs the MSHS Center for Rehabilitation and Innovation. These compassionate souls collaborated with Mirelle Phillips at Studio Elsewhere to make the recharge rooms a possibility.

The community has taken an interest in the transformation of our tent to a recharge space. Check out some of the articles and videos below. 

The Today Show

The New York Times

Telemundo

As our city begins to reopen and we return to the “new normal,” I cannot express how thankful I am for everything you have done. We learned a lot from this pandemic in many aspects and we must move forward. With the opening of The Mount Sinai Center for Post-COVID Care at Union Square, we can lead in caring for our patients every step of their recovery, which we are learning can be long and complicated.

These patients who previously had COVID-19 will be seen initially by our intake physicians who will perform a full assessment of their COVID-19 and any other related illnesses. Patient care will be personally tailored to their needs by referring them to the appropriate specialist that works directly with the center. Specialists from all over our health system, such as those from cardiology, primary care, infectious disease, nephrology, neuropsychiatry, radiology and many others, have come together to help with specific challenges. To provide the best care possible, the Center’s physicians are in direct collaboration with each other. The Center also provides support for the mental and emotional toll that having COVID-19 has on patients, offering psychological and support groups.

Photo: Three of our specialists at the center: Marta Peimer, NP; Eleanor Lai, MD; Joan Bosco, MD.

In addition to providing this direct care for patients, the Center will also contribute to research and discovery. One of the core goals will be the creation of a patient registry to track patient illness and recovery over time. Ultimately, this will allow us to understand this disease and be better prepared to treat it in the future.

In combining clinical care with research, the Center for Post-COVID Care strives to gain a better understanding of this disease and its treatment. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication in healing our patients and communities.

Photo: Zijian Chen, MD, is the Center’s Medical Director. He provided oversight of clinical care in our tent when patients were seen there.

Congratulations to Dr. Joanne Loewy DA, LCAT, MT-BC, who was recently presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association for Music and Medicine (IAMM)!

IAMM is a registered non-profit organization formed in 2009 to encourage and support the use of music in medical contexts including research into the benefits of music, and its specialized applications in healthcare. The Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Joanne for her 10+ years of documented accomplishments in the field of higher education and having a significant impact on a large number of individuals and organizations.

Dr. Loewy is the Director of The Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel where she leads a talented team of innovators dedicated to the art and science of Music Therapy.  Dr. Loewy is a pioneer in the field, lectures around the world, and provides exemplary, compassionate care to patients of the Mount Sinai Health System.

Dr. Loewy is also the Co-editor in Chief of Music and Medicine journal (MMD). The MMD is a new interdisciplinary journal that is an integrative forum for clinical practice and research related to music intervention and applications of clinical music strategies in medicine. MMD ensures the submissions received contain high level research and practice. They promote the sharing and building of research and practice of many specialties, not only music therapy.

Congratulations, Joanne! We are immensely proud of you!

As we finish another week, I’m realizing how quickly this year is flying by. I am thankful that the pandemic in our region is less overwhelming and that we are reopening. I am thankful that so many are speaking up and taking action to fight racism. I am thankful for all of you and everything you teach me each day. Our Patient Experience team plus a few others from around our Downtown campus spent a lot of time connecting with so many of you who gave your all during our most challenging time of the pandemic. They wanted to offer a moment of gratitude and support now that our patient volumes are more manageable. We have not been able to get to everyone in person. I am thankful they put this video together that expresses our gratitude. They also remind us that now is the time to lean on each other and our support systems. I hope you will.

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I also want to share this short video that Pamela Abner in our Office of Diversity and Inclusion shared with me. When it comes to fighting racism, the more we learn, the more we can contribute.

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And, next week, we will be holding a special MSBI townhall entitled “An Honest Conversation About Race.” This is modeled after a townhall that our colleagues at Mount Sinai Morningside held yesterday. We are united in solidarity with them and with so many in the Mount Sinai family who are determined to build a more just and equitable health system and society.

Let’s keep listening and learning together so that our actions will be impactful and long lasting.

I first want to thank everyone who stood with Mount Sinai’s demonstration of solidarity this Tuesday and those who took a stand in their own way throughout the week. MSBI has a long history of fighting for justice and equality. We will continue to speak up, take action, and care for everyone who needs it, regardless of backgrounds, races, religions, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and more.

Today I want to shine a light on a few of the people who are taking care of us during this increasingly stressful time.

While we have many forms of support for our employees, what I love about our chaplains and the Department of Spiritual Care and Education is that they are so present and integrated into our patient care and operational work. This allows them to develop deep relationships with our employees that gives the team an opportunity to check in with staff frequently.

During our COVID-19 surge, this team demonstrated incredible agility as they shifted their work to cover new units, help out at Mount Sinai Brooklyn, and offer different services to patients. They also took turns rounding very early in the morning, along with our social workers and many others, to check in with our night staff.

“During the crisis, being present mattered,” said Chaplain Max Reynolds.

Chaplain Leanne Dodge agreed. “People needed human connection. The pandemic affected them professionally, but also personally, and they had to carry that in their work. We were there to hold space for whatever emotions or release they needed.”

This team also supports our patients who, during this time, could not have visitors. The chaplains often helped in different ways, calling patients, offering support through new technology, or even just sitting with patients and helping them call a family member. Their generosity, patience, and presence inspire me.

Because they are so present on the units, our chaplains often help connect our MSBI colleagues to the additional resources they need. They work closely with the patient experience, employee assistance, behavioral health, social work, and wellness teams, and many others to provide support to staff.

Derrick Williams, LCSW, offers short-term counseling to employees through the Employee Assistance Program and is a collaborative partner to Spiritual Care.

Derrick helps employees with a wide range of challenges such as anxiety, family relationships, work stress, and other psychosocial needs. During the crisis, he saw many people who struggled with the loss of life they had witnessed, their fear of getting sick or getting their family sick, and even feelings of isolation because of working from home

“I am honored to be serving our frontline and all our employees. I have profound respect for everyone who is putting their life on the line,” he says.

He wants to remind employees that four simple things can help us weather this storm:

• Movement
• Mindfulness
• Meaning, (e.g., religion, values, passions)
• Mastery (i.e., being able to use your skills gained from challenges in the past to help you today)

Jo Hirschmann, our Director of Spiritual Care and Education, says that her team witnessed incredible resilience from MSBI during the height of the crisis and so much change.

“We still have processing to do. We can help people cultivate their own resilience through spirituality, values, and community,” Jo says.

I know that having these two programs, along with many others, has helped our MSBI family stay centered and connected during this time.