Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Mount Sinai St. Luke's
Staff at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s recognize the amazing accomplishments of former trauma patients.
“We were in a room full of miracles.”
That’s how Deb Travis, RN, Manager of the Trauma Program, described the special celebration of strength and courage the Trauma Program at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s held as part of National Trauma Survivors Day. Ten former patients and their families joined with hospital staff, reconnecting with the people who cared for them during their hospital stays.
The Trauma Survivors Day celebration at St. Luke’s brings everyone together to recognize the amazing progress trauma survivors have made on the long road to recovery, to share gratitude for the surgeons and care teams who never accepted “impossible,” and to marvel at the strength, determination, and optimism of survivors. The event was held May 17.
“One of the great things about our Trauma Program is it makes everyone at the hospital excited about what they do,” said Ms. Travis. “Having our patients come back was an even better way to say, ‘Look at what we’ve done. And look at these people.’”
The Trauma Program at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s was established in 1983. As a Level 2 Trauma Center, St. Luke’s provides care to communities across the Upper West Side and Harlem, treating injuries from incidents ranging from motor vehicle accidents to traumatic falls. From the moment a patient is admitted to the Emergency Department, staff from the Trauma Program are there to help at every stage of care.
Led by Raymond Wedderburn, MD, FACS, Chief of Trauma and Critical Care at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, the Trauma Team includes specially trained medical professionals who provide coordinated, efficient, and compassionate care. Rapid assessment and prompt interventions account for the team’s success rate, and the staff’s deep compassion and wholehearted commitment pushes this success even further, according to Dr. Wedderburn.
“We see patients in their worst state because none of these patients actually planned to see you that day, in that context,” Dr. Wedderburn said. “When people are injured like this—totally unexpected, totally disruptive—their lives just fall apart. We witness that and try to help them get through that, and it’s amazing, the strength and courage of these people.”
“We were in a room full of miracles.”
During the last four years, St. Luke’s Trauma Program was reviewed and verified by the American College of Surgeons, allowing the team to do “a more holistic kind of trauma care,” according to Ms. Travis. Every member of the Trauma Team—from the Emergency Department to the Operating Room, from the Intensive Care Unit to rehabilitation and recovery—contributes to this approach, supporting patients along the continuum of care.
Another aspect of this holistic approach is the involvement of family, which Dr. Wedderburn recognizes as essential to helping trauma patients heal. “You can’t take care of the patient without taking care of the family,” he said.
The Trauma Program staff have taken this to heart, as the father of one survivor noted by describing the attentiveness and compassion of the staff in a letter sent to the hospital. “The room was small and my wife and I were often in the way; the staff never lost patience,” he wrote. “The nurses watched over our son tirelessly, to keep him as comfortable as possible, administer meds, check vitals, change bedding—and then do it all over, again and again. They often offered support and comfort to my wife and me as well.”
The recognition offered by the annual event is important for patients and caregivers. “Once you’ve actually cared for someone who’s gotten through something incredibly difficult, there’s an attachment, a bond that’s created, a certain level of trust and comfort,” said Dr. Wedderburn. “The Trauma Survivors Day is a way for us to honor them but also to remind them that they’re part of our family, and we’re there to continue to support them for as long as they need it.”
Trauma Survivors Day also serves as a reminder to the staff of the significant help they offered to patients and their families, no matter their role. “All the different people along the continuum of care, they see a small part of the patient’s care, so our entire staff is rejuvenated by the experience of Trauma Survivors Day,” Dr. Wedderburn said.
The celebration gives trauma staff the opportunity to talk with patients who have since recovered from serious, often life-threatening injuries. “It’s incredibly moving to talk to staff afterwards who are so touched by what patients have told them about their experiences,” Dr. Wedderburn said. “They may not know they had that impact.”
From their comments, it was clear the survivors are filled with gratitude for the Trauma staff, who make an indelible impact in the lives of patients every day, giving them a chance not only to survive, but also to thrive.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Mount Sinai St. Luke's
The new cogeneration plant being constructed on top of the Babcock Building between 114th and 115th Streets.
Mount Sinai St. Luke’s is “going green” by upgrading the hospital’s energy infrastructure and improving the building’s carbon footprint. The hospital will soon generate much of its own electricity once the installation of a cogeneration system is complete, using energy more efficiently and reducing emissions of carbon dioxide.
The $65 million cogeneration system will also include new emergency generators and the replacement of cooling towers and boilers. These upgrades ensure the hospital will always have reliable emergency power sources and consistent steam generation. The project is partially funded by the recent sale of several buildings that were once part of the hospital.
The system will allow St. Luke’s to generate electricity and useable heat at the same time. Instead of excess heat going to waste—as in the case with traditional equipment—the cogeneration system will capture all the heat emitted while generating electricity and use it to warm areas of the hospital as well as the building’s water supply. The plant will use computers to help ensure the equipment operates at maximum efficiency.
“We’re excited to be using cutting-edge technology to produce energy for the hospital,” said Mount Sinai St. Luke’s President Arthur Gianelli, MBA, MPH. “These advancements are at the forefront of sustainable energy efforts, putting St. Luke’s well ahead of other older buildings in the city on the path to efficiency.”
Construction on the system began in May 2017 on the roof of the Babcock Building, on the north side of 114th Street off Amsterdam Avenue, and will continue through the end of the year. When it begins operation in 2018, the system will lower energy costs and is expected to save between $3 million and $4 million per year—about 30-40 percent of St. Luke’s current yearly utility bill.
All buildings on the Mount Sinai St. Luke’s campus are expected to be served from this new plant, including the inpatient hospital (Babcock), the Ambulatory Pavilion (Clark, Service and Research, Stuyvesant, Muhlenberg, and Chapel buildings), as well as the doctors’ offices at 1090 Amsterdam Avenue. Final decisions on the system’s scope and reach will be made in consultation with Con Edison.
Over the last decade, St. Luke’s has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 6.52 percent through the installation of more efficient lighting and by switching the type of fuel oil the current boilers burn. The cogeneration system will make a significant contribution to helping the hospital reduce its carbon footprint. The plant will be approximately 85-90 percent energy efficient, producing 22,053,000 kWh of electricity per year—the equivalent of the energy needed for 2,040 houses.
These efforts to reduce emissions and increase sustainability are part of initiatives at the state, national, and global level to reduce global warming.
For example, the cogeneration project and its intended goals will specifically support efforts in New York. In 2014, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city’s commitment to reduce gas emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050. Mayor de Blasio’s “NYC Carbon Challenge” is part of this effort, and asks private sector organizations like St. Luke’s to pledge their support of this campaign.
The Mount Sinai Health System accepted this challenge in 2009, pledging to voluntarily reduce its building-based emissions by 30 percent or more over the course of 10 years. The Health System and nine other hospital organizations who signed on have collectively achieved a 15 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (per square foot) since 2009.
“It’s important for large health care institutions to affirmatively contribute to reducing their carbon footprint,” Mr. Gianelli said. “We’re proud to be doing this through the installation of our new cogeneration system, and we’re proud to be advancing Mayor de Blasio’s action plan.”
The plant will drastically decrease the hospital’s greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants. The plant reduces greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide or CO2) by 15 percent per year—the equivalent output of 100 cars running for 24 hours a day for one year. The system will also reduce several other gases, including nitrogen dioxide (64 percent reduction), sulfur dioxide (91 percent reduction), nitrous dioxide (54 percent reduction), and methane (47 percent reduction).
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Mount Sinai St. Luke's
Patients, staff, and visitors at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s who stop by the historic chapel will find a refuge that, since its creation more than a century ago, has reflected the hospital’s commitment to caring for the community.
The history of the chapel leads back to the founder of St. Luke’s Hospital, William Augustus Muhlenberg, who established the organization to facilitate the delivery of care throughout Manhattan to poor and rich alike. As an Episcopal clergyman, his legacy was commemorated with the construction of a chapel at the new St. Luke’s Hospital on 114th Street.
A special feature of the chapel are the stained glass windows, created in 1896 by architect Henry Holiday. Over the altar presides the most prominent window featuring “Christ the Consoler.” Arched above this window are seven round windows illustrating the “Seven Acts of Mercy.” The unique windows commemorate the philosophy of dedication, compassion, and care espoused by Mr. Muhlenberg, who envisioned a world in which quality health care would be provided without charge to all who needed it.
“The chapel is an integral part of the history of St. Luke’s and a beautiful place for multi-denominational worship,” said Arthur Gianelli, MBA, MPH, President of St. Luke’s. “We are proud to continue this heritage by providing medical care to communities of Harlem, the Upper West Side, and beyond, putting patients at the center of everything we do by addressing unmet social needs.”
The chapel was recognized recently with Mount Sinai St. Luke’s selection as one of 173 sites throughout New York to participate in the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s annual Sacred Sites Open House. The Conservancy is dedicated to the preservation, revitalization, and rehabilitation of New York’s historical architecture.
The Sacred Sites Program, established in 1986, sponsors the annual Sacred Sites Open House, which asks neighborhood religious sites to host New Yorkers and tourists to build community support, develop cultural tourism, and publicize the historical sites. The theme of this year’s event, “Stained Glass: Windows on this World and the Next,” highlighted stained glass windows at 64 locations around New York City.
During the event, co-hosted by architect and historian George B. Bryant and St. Luke’s physician Norma M.T. Braun, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, dozens of visitors viewed the unique designs and workmanship of the chapel’s stained glass. One anonymous visitor left a cash donation to go toward the restoration of the beautiful windows. The event took place May 20.
Mr. Bryant has written an article about the windows and the chapel for The Journal of Stained Glass, published by the British Society of Master Glass Painters. The article describes the process and unique results from the creation of the windows.
The Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Restoration Fund, led by Dr. Braun, raises funds to preserve and restore this chapel. Anyone inspired by and able to help preserve this heritage is encouraged to make a donation by contacting the Office of Development at Mount Sinai Health.
To read more about the chapel, its stained glass, and its history, contact Dr. Braun at norma.braun@mountsinai.org for access to a limited edition print of the article in The Journal of Stained Glass.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Mount Sinai St. Luke's
City Health Works coaches train at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s with Mount Sinai Heart staff.
Partnering with City Health Works, the Care Transitions and Population Health Team at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai Heart at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s will soon launch a care transitions pilot program for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). This program aims to fill a transitional gap in patient care in reinforcement of and education around follow-up care, medications, diet, and exercise.
“After joining meetings with the CHF clinical team, staff identified that many patients needed practical and culturally competent coaching about diet, medications, exercise, and the importance of follow-up care, especially after hospitalization,” explains Theresa Soriano, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President of Care Transitions and Population Health at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s. “A partnership with City Health Works, along with our traditional post-acute partners, fills this gap.”
Founded in 2012, City Health Works—a Mount Sinai Performing Provider System (PPS) Partner—is a Harlem-based organization that trains neighborhood workers to serve as Health Coaches who “motivate individuals to achieve realistic health goals through a holistic approach.” City Health Works’ mission is to “[bridge] the gap between the doctor’s office and the everyday lives of patients diagnosed with life-threatening chronic illnesses.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Mount Sinai and the Heart Program to jointly deliver the best quality care to patients,” said Jamillah Hoy-Rosas, Director of Health Coaching and Clinical Partnership’s at City Health Works. “Our health coaches, who are hired from the neighborhoods that we serve, pride themselves on developing quality, trusting relationships with patients and helping them achieve the best outcomes.”
Funded through Mount Sinai’s partner dollars, this one-year pilot aims to reach at least 100 eligible patients, identified through specific qualifications. Patients must have a primary diagnosis of CHF during admission to St. Luke’s, be at least 18 years of age, and reside in East, West, or Central Harlem or Washington Heights. These patients must also be recognized by hospital staff as in need of community-based self-management skills training. Each patient will receive individualized health instruction and community-based care coordination from City Health Works Health Coaches, who are trained by nurse specialists from Mount Sinai Heart at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s.
During this pilot, progress will be measured through monthly meetings with the Care Transitions and Population Health team at St. Luke’s, staff at Mount Sinai Heart at St. Luke’s, and City Health Works. With the goal of optimizing patient care outcomes, these meetings will focus on clinical performance, operational workflows, and patient care needs.
This pilot is part of Mount Sinai PPS’s clinical implementation strategy towards building a hub, improving care transition efforts, and reducing avoidable hospital readmissions. As such, this work will impact several key DSRIP performance measures, including the reduction in 30-day readmissions, increase in compliance with follow-up appointment within seven days to CHF rapid follow-up clinic, complete fulfillment of prescription refill by due date, and adherence with lab/disease monitoring.
This article has been adapted from a previous publication in the Mount Sinai PPS DSRIP Newsletter.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Mount Sinai St. Luke's
Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West staff participate in a Community Gateway launch workshop. Attendees were from various administrative, clinical, and social service departments.
Mount Sinai St. Luke’s is at the center of the Mount Sinai PPS (Performing Provider System) implementation of the Community Gateway platform. The Community Gateway is a web-based tool designed for Mount Sinai PPS health care professionals to access innovative tools and applications for clinical transformation.
Overall, the Community Gateway is expected to support clinical workflows and improve patient care. Providers and select staff will be able to access clinical information, collaborate with community resources, and assist in providing whole-person care that extends beyond the hospital and encompasses all aspects of a person’s life to enhance health and wellbeing.
During the next phase of the implementation plan, the system will collect data and analyze feedback from Mount Sinai St. Luke’s to develop and improve roll-out plans and trainings within the PPS network. As one of its chosen pilot locations, St. Luke’s will trial various Community Gateway applications with St. Luke’s social workers, nurse care managers, hospitalists, and care teams in the ambulatory, emergency, psychiatry, and HIV departments.
Arthur Gianelli, MBA, MPH, President at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai PPS, said that the Community Gateway platform will “fundamentally transform how our providers communicate with each other, how they communicate with community-based organizations, and how they deliver care to our most vulnerable patients.”
Mount Sinai St. Luke’s is thrilled to be piloting these programs and to continue making strides to better serve its communities. As stated in the “5 P’s” of the hospital’s Strategic Plan, the organization’s goal to make improvements for our patients is to “Transform care by putting patients at the center of everything we do, addressing unmet social needs, and forging clinical and community partnerships to improve the health of our population.”
This article has been adapted from a previous publication in the Mount Sinai PPS DSRIP Newsletter.
Oct 11, 2016 | Inside, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, Patient Stories
The violinist Yuval Waldman with the Mount Sinai St. Luke’s team, from left: Alan S. Multz, MD, Chief Medical Officer; Leonida Lacdao, RN, Nurse Manager; Emad F. Aziz, DO, MB, CHB; and Eyal Herzog, MD, Director, Cardiac Care Unit, and Director, Echocardiography Laboratory.
Yuval Waldman, a renowned violinist and conductor, recently performed an original song to thank the Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Cardiac Care Team that treated him for atrial flutter and artery blockage. He was admitted to the hospital’s cardiac intensive care unit with severe shortness of breath, swollen legs, high blood pressure, and an irregular, fast heart rhythm. Testing revealed that he was in severe heart failure. Emad F. Aziz, DO, MB, CHB, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiologist, Al-Sabah Arrhythmia Institute, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, performed an atrial flutter ablation that repaired an abnormal conduction pathway. When further tests revealed a blockage in the arteries supplying the heart, stents were placed to improve blood flow. Mr. Waldman performed the impromptu song in June, on the day he was released from the hospital. To view the video, please visit: youtube.com/StLukesHospitalNYC.
