Dr. Chunkeun Oh, MSBI Anesthesiologist, volunteered to help our sister hospital, Mount Sinai Brooklyn as the COVID-19 situation was escalating. Mount Sinai Brooklyn was hit hard with an early influx of critical COVID-19 patients and a lot of the staff were out sick or quarantined. They were overwhelmed and exhausted, but the wave of cases increased. Dr. Oh learned of this situation and drove to Brooklyn to offer a helping hand. He worked with the Respiratory Therapists who were at the heart of the care for COVID-19 patients. They are a dedicated group who were going above and beyond to care for their patients. One Respiratory Therapist even worked for 24 hours straight to meet the needs of the community.

As an Anesthesiologist, Dr. Oh regularly monitors patients to see how their breathing is. This related skill allowed him to support the work of the Respiratory Therapists during this time of great need. The team welcomed Dr. Oh with open arms. Like many of the employees during this challenging time, Dr. Oh worked double shifts and volunteered his services wherever he was needed. He is thankful to have gotten to know the Mount Sinai Brooklyn team, and they are thankful for the much-needed support.

It’s Nurses Week. And it is the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale.

This year, more than ever, I witness our nurses exemplify everything we respect and admire about the nursing profession: compassion, excellence, and dedication to caring for those who most need it.

I’ve watched our nurses show up courageously day after day during one of the most challenging times our community has ever faced.

I’ve watched our nurses rapidly adapt to evolving care protocols to serve the changing needs of our patients.

I’ve watched our nurses walk onto brand new units with a brand new teams and seamlessly and compassionately do what they do best.

I’ve watched them hold the hands of patients who could not be near their loved ones.

And, I’ve watched them turn strangers into family.

Thank you all for all you do.

For more on our nurses, click here.

It could not be more fitting that the World Health Organization designated 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse.” The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 tested everyone and has impacted everyone’s lives. One thing that did not change is the way nurses continue to care selflessly for those who need it most during these challenging times. Seeing you all show up day after day with courage and compassion over the last few months has made me even prouder than ever to work alongside you. You have been agile, disciplined, compassionate, and strong. You continue to learn new skills and adapt to the changing needs of our community, always striving for excellence in your profession. Thank you.

In 2020 we also celebrate the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing. A pioneer in her field and a person of indomitable spirit, she said “The greatest heroes are those who do their duty in the daily grind of domestic affairs whilst the world whirls as a maddening dreidel.” Her words perfectly describe the recent whirlwind we’ve experienced and echo what we saw firsthand from all of you. You rose to the challenge both as human beings and caregivers.

However, Nurses Week 2020 looks so different than previous years. I wish we could offer you the kind of celebration you deserve. With excitement, I look forward to the future when we can be together again under different circumstances. At that time, I will offer you my hand, but until then, I offer you my heart which is overflowing with gratitude.

I’m not the only one overwhelmed by your contributions to our community. Here’s a video with messages from our Mount Sinai Downtown colleagues.

In addition, you can see the advertisements Mount Sinai ran in The New York Times and American Nurses Association journal in honor of you here.

To me, every week is Nurses Week. Thank you for your commitment, courage, and heroism.

Happy Nurses Week! Mount Sinai ran two advertisements in The New York Times and American Nurses Association journal in honor of you:

We have more content on our Instagram Page.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we heard stories of bravery and dedication by the clinical staff on the frontlines, the need for respirators and beds, drugs and therapies being used to help in the fight with the coronavirus. But another critical element in patient care, and ultimately recovery, is family. It is generally recognized that family plays a major role in hospital treatment of patients, as a source of psychological and emotional support.

Mount Sinai Health System adopted a “no visitor policy” across its campuses, to protect patients and staff from the spread of the virus. Though MSBI clinical teams take great care to keep family members and visitors informed, patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were severely limited in their ability to stay connected with their loved ones while in isolation ; a virtual solution was needed. Recognizing this gap, Dahlia Rizk, DO, MPH, Chief, Division of Hospital Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel (MSBI) had a vision: “iPads in every room so that isolated patients could see and communicate with their family and loved ones.”

With the number of COVID-19 positive patients admitted to MSBI rising, the shortage of available iPads became glaringly apparent. “We really wanted patients to be able to Zoom all day,” explained Dr. Rizk, “but we did not have enough iPads on hand for every unit, which meant our staff had to keep moving them around to different rooms and coordinate their use so that every patient could spend some time using them. An expansion of our current capabilities was needed.” To rectify the situation, Dr. Rizk turned to David Putrino, PhD, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System. An advocate of innovative technology solutions that promote better healthcare accessibility, Dr. Putrino understood the value of keeping isolated patients connected to their loved ones. Working with Logitech, a longtime supporter of his work, Dr. Putrino once again found an enthusiastic partner willing to donate the needed technology. On April 20th, MSBI received 100 iPads, 100 “Slim Folio” keyboards and 100 Crayons (stylus device). In addition, the Mount Sinai Health System provided portable stands to complement the iPads.

Getting the iPads into the hands of patients quickly brought another key team of specialists together. Informatics, led by Drs. Aaron Patterson and Andrew Yu, along with IT, patient representatives and patient experience, worked at a lightning pace to set up the devices for easy patient access and develop a process to engage patients. “Logitech’s generous donation significantly expanded our capabilities from 93 iPads to 183,” said Aaron Patterson, MD, MBA, MA, Associate Chief Information Officer for the Downtown Campus, Mount Sinai Health System. “Furthermore, now that the iPads were available in every room, we were able to pilot additional features, such as virtual rounding on patients.”

“It was a great moment to see all the iPads lined up in the 2 Dazian rotunda, ready to go up to patients in 8S, 7S, and 5 Karpas,” recalls Hamilton Davis, former Patient Representative in the ED, who volunteered to come back to MSBI during the crisis. In addition to connecting patients and families, the iPads were set up for interpreter access. “The iPads are doing double duty,” offered Mr. Hamilton, “the addition of interpreter access has been incredibly helpful to our physicians, nurses and PCAs. It’s about breaking down barriers to communication.” Now that the iPads are part of the daily patient care regimen, work continues to assess how they are being used on the floors to maximize their effectiveness.

“We’ve seen a positive impact from the iPads,” said Dr. Rizk, who credits the technology with helping patients cope with the isolation and the treatment regimen. Indeed, keeping connected has not only benefitted MSBI patients, but also their family members, as evident from the lovely thank you note received from a son of a patient, grateful for the ability to connect with his father. The staff has also felt a sense of satisfaction and joy in seeing the patients connect with their families during this critical time and has the added benefit of families being able to connect with the caregivers on the units.

Indeed, keeping connected has not only benefitted MSBI patients, but also their family members, as evident from the lovely thank you note received from a son of a patient, grateful for the ability to connect with his father (see below).

Click below to see photos of our staff and iPads in action.

Yuriko Higa Fuentes and Mirvjena Polici are Medical Office Specialists from Mount Sinai Heart at Mount Sinai-Union Square have been incredibly adaptable during this challenging time. They were redeployed to help the hospital’s Environmental Services Team keep the hospital clean. This job was and is a highly critical role in keeping employees and patients safe while stopping the spread of COVID-19. They both accepted their new roles with willingness and determination. Yuriko was sick for three weeks and came back with energy and positivity. She came back to a different shift (3pm-11pm) on an inpatient (and unfamiliar) unit, at the frontlines of the virus, with a brand new team, and dove in with compassion. Yuriko said, “I want to make a difference.” Their work is vital to getting us through this crisis safely.