Luz Amarilis Lugo, MD, says this about Florence “Flo” Rosser: “Your motivation and initiative help our team provide excellent care to all our patients.” Read more testimonials here.

Florence “Flo” Rosser has worked at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside for thirteen years as a Medical Office Assistant, and is currently at the Samuels Clinic at Mount Sinai West. The Samuels Clinic is a division of the Institute for Advanced Medicine and serves patients with HIV as well as the LGBTQ community.

According to Flo, she takes care of the “best patients” and works with an “amazing team.”  They clearly think the same of her. She has been called an “angel” and a “star” and her work “exemplary.” A team player who goes “above and beyond” for patients and her colleagues, Flo was recently praised by her colleagues for her outstanding work in the vaccination pods and helping schedule patients and colleagues at Mount Sinai and at city clinics.

“Her passion and dedication to patient care is inspiring,” says Jean Reisman DiNapoli, DNP, RN. “When I heard about her taking on vaccine scheduling for patients all on her own, it didn’t surprise me. We are lucky to have Flo on our team.”

Flo’s approach to patient care is simple. “I treat patients the way I would want to be treated, and I want them to leave the clinic with a smile.” With respect to her colleagues, “I want to make sure they are happy, and I want to solve their problems. Importantly, if I can, I want to give them five minutes without stress in their day.”

Click here to see the tribute created by her colleagues.

Ruth Levy, NP

Loida Lopez, Executive Assistant in Marketing at the Mount Sinai Health System, feels compelled to personally thank Ruth Levy, NP, the nurse practitioner who recently administered the COVID-19 vaccine to her aunt.

It was an emotional moment for her aunt, who lost her husband to COVID-19 in April 2020.

“My aunt was thinking that if the vaccine had been available last year, her husband might still be alive today,” Loida says. “As Ruth was explaining the vaccine process, my aunt began to remember the past and cry, so Ruth listened in a compassionate way to her speak about her family, consoled and supported her.”

Ruth has been on staff at The Mount Sinai Hospital for 26 years and has worked on the front lines caring for COVID-19 patients in the Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit since the start of the pandemic.

“I jumped at the opportunity to be deployed to the vaccine pods when needed,“ Ruth says. “I was excited to help people fight this disease after seeing so many succumb to it, but I also knew the interaction in the pods, outside of the intensity and isolation of the ICU, would be therapeutic for me.”

She continues, “My experience with Loida’s aunt was emotional for me, as well. Having supported so many families who were losing their loved ones, I had to take a deep breath upon hearing her story and sharing her talk about her loss. In a way, her husband was my patient, and we were on this journey together. We understood each other in a profound way.”

Loida also was deeply taken by her aunt’s patient experience. “I was already proud to be an employee of Mount Sinai, but hearing my aunt’s experience has made me even prouder,” she says. “Thank you again, Ms. Levy, for all you continue to do–as well as all of our health care workers. Thank you!”

Food Service team members at The Mount Sinai Hospital, from left: Marthe Kiemde, Tiffany Then, Katherine Lizardo, and Seaan Maldonado

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” – Mother Teresa –

With the onset of COVID-19, the world masked up, and our smiles were hidden. In an effort to bring a source of comfort and connection to our patients, families and staff, the Friendly Faces program was developed and implemented in Spring 2020. “Having our faces visible on these enlarged badges allows for patients to more easily connect with their care team, and it also helps staff feel more of a connection with their colleagues”, says Erica Rubinstein, VP of Service Excellence and Patient Experience for MSHS.

Thandiwe Kangwa, a member of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Patient Experience team, embarked on the mission of bringing Friendly Faces to MSBI and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. With technical guidance from Drew Copeland, RPSGT, CCSH, and Zachary Roberts, RPSGT, and operational support from Nancy Paljevic, Administrative Assistant, Thandiwe worked with a team of volunteers to create and distribute the badges to MSBI staff.

The enlarged badges mean that the faces of employees are now visible to patients.

One volunteer is Marissa Albanese, a patient with multiple sclerosis who assists on nights and weekends. Thandiwe asked Marissa why the project was so important to her, and then told Marissa’s story in a video with the help of per diem photographer Raymond Liang.

“It means the world” to a patient to see the kind faces of caregivers, Marissa says. “It just makes me feel better.”

Thandiwe’s efforts are appreciated by everyone at MSBI, says Jeremy Boal, MD, President of Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Mount Sinai Downtown. “Thandiwe and her team created something so meaningful that benefits our entire community,” he says. “We are thrilled to bring this resource to our staff and create opportunities for increased connection.”

This program continues to be supported by The Joseph F. Cullman Jr. Institute for Patient Experience and led by Emily Jweid, Manager of The Cullman Institute.

Christine and Nick with their newborn. The family thanked Mount Sinai West for their excellent care with a video from the National Tour of “Les Miserables.” The video can be viewed here.

Christine Cartell was understandably concerned when she arrived at Mount Sinai West three weeks early on April 1, 2020, to deliver her first child. She was experiencing a pregnancy complication called a placental abruption, which occurs when the placenta separates from the inner wall of the uterus. Fortunately, this did not affect her baby’s health, but Christine lost a lot of blood. And she had other reasons to feel anxious. The obstetrician who had followed her pregnancy was not on call at the time of her admission. Also, hospitals were in the early throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But there was good news too. Though not allowed to stay through recovery, Christine’s husband, Nick, was allowed to be with her during labor and delivery. And Christine felt her care from Mount Sinai West faculty and staff was outstanding. She has only praise and thanks for the Triage, Labor and Delivery and Recovery/Postpartum teams that cared for her.

“The team was incredible, especially Melissa Davis, NP, whose skill at finding the position that helped my labor progress when I was had not done so for over 12 hours was a factor in ensuring that I would not have to deliver via cesarean section,” Christine says. “I also want to thank the angel anesthesiologist who gave me two epidural boosters so I could get some rest. Everyone was kind and lovely, including the receptionist and the kind gentleman who helped me downstairs on discharge day.”

Christine appreciates the communication among the team and with her to explain procedures and the reasons behind them. Important to her, the teams were respectful of continuous conversations she and Nick had with her doula over FaceTime. “I wanted the partnership with a doula for my husband as much as for me,” she says.  “It gave me peace of mind that I had another expert to educate us, and to reassure us. It was helpful that my doula’s advice to me was welcomed by the nurses.”

Christine thanked her caregivers with a thoughtful note and an added surprise. Her husband had just concluded a run with the National Tour of Les Miserables, and in partnership with the Clear Day Project, he asked his fellow actors to join in a video dedicated to the front-line health care workers in this pandemic, but especially the Mount Sinai West teams that cared for Christine.

“My husband and I are so grateful to the staff at Mount Sinai West for keeping us safe and healthy. The video is a very small token of gratitude from us and Les Miz cast members,” Christine wrote. “We hope this brings you some joy and a boost to you all on the front lines of this crisis.” The video can be viewed here.

From left: Stephanie Lehrman, LCSW, Jessica Fernandez, PA, Marissa Senise, NP, Jorge Gomez, MD, Andrea Wolf, MD, MPH, Kenneth Rosenzweig, MD, and Thomas Marron, MD, PhD.

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) selects four cancer care teams from around the world for a prestigious honor—the IASLC Cancer Care Team Award. And among those teams, the overall winner was from The Mount Sinai Hospital.

The association recognizes institutions in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia/Rest of the World that provide exceptional care for patients with lung cancer and thoracic malignancies. The Mount Sinai Hospital team, named below, received top honors in 2020.

• Andrea Wolf, MD, MPH, Director of the New York Mesothelioma Program and the Mount Sinai Women’s Lung Cancer Program
• Jorge Gomez, MD, Medical Director, Mount Sinai World Trade Center Oncology Clinic, Medical Director Solid Tumor Oncology Inpatient Unit, The Mount Sinai Hospital
• Jessica Fernandez, PA
• Marissa Senise, NP
• Thomas Marron, MD, PhD, Assistant Director of Immunotherapy and Early Phase Trials at The Tisch Cancer Institute
• Stephanie Lehrman, LCSW
• Kenneth Rosenzweig, MD,  Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Winners are selected based upon nominations by patients and their families. The Mount Sinai team was nominated by two patients. Dan Purus was one of them. Dan had been diagnosed with lung cancer after an initial diagnosis and surgical treatment for kidney cancer. He was referred to Dr. Wolf by a friend, and she was by his side when he underwent a lung biopsy at The Mount Sinai Hospital and was the surgeon who later operated on him. Dan also underwent chemotherapy under the direction of Dr. Gomez. Because there is the possibility of metastasis to the brain, the team considered brain radiation, but the team and Dan agreed it would not be necessary at this time.

“I am blessed to have been treated by this team. It was clear they wanted the best outcome for me medically, but at the same time, they were always cognizant of my emotions; my feelings. They worked collaboratively as a team and always in partnership with me.” He adds, “They never made me feel as if I was bothering them. They were always interested in what I had to say, always there to answer my questions. Their actions calmed me and gave me confidence in the treatment plans and in my future.”

“Oftentimes delivery of patient care is at its best when multidisciplinary team members offer the patient seamless and informed communication, as well as an individualized treatment plan based on not just the patient’s needs but the patient’s wishes,” says Fred R. Hirsch, MD, PhD,  Executive Director of the Center for Thoracic Oncology in The Tisch Cancer Institute, and the Joe Lowe and Louis Price Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Dr. Wolf echoes this sentiment. “Patients’ input is critical to better outcomes in cancer care. Patients do better if they are partners in their care,” she says. She also is thrilled to work together with this group, who are experts in their fields. “I feel so lucky to be a part of this team.”