The COVID-19 pandemic has made a significant impact on everyone involved, and many of us have been through devastating events over the past several months. However, there have been positive moments we will not forget, as well. We have seen members of the medical community from all over the nation come together, exhibit extraordinary levels of integrity, and help the Mount Sinai Health System Department of Emergency Medicine pull through the hardest of times.

Physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners left their homes and families to join us in this unprecedented fight. It is hard enough to start in a new hospital, but these individuals also came during the height of a health care crisis. Amid a huge pandemic, they quickly learned to function in a new environment and seamlessly integrated with the Mount Sinai Health System. These individuals have exhibited a level of teamwork, selflessness, compassion, resilience, and adaptability that is above and beyond anything we could have expected.

We want to thank each one of these extraordinary people. They will be forever considered members of our extended Mount Sinai family.

Mount Sinai Queens

Travis Ulmer, MD, is from Ohio and worked night shifts at Mount Sinai Queens. He saw that New York needed help, and in an extraordinarily selfless act, he volunteered to help and was not looking to be compensated for his time (we obviously couldn’t let that happen). He was a significant relief to our staff after we had been through a busy several weeks from the peak of the pandemic. All the staff at MSQ had very positive things to say about Dr. Ulmer. When he is not busy being an EM physician, he enjoys being active with his family.

Anthony Cirillo, MD, is from Rhode Island. He drove to New York to help us during the peak of the pandemic. He brought his own PPE and was well prepared to work “in the trenches” with us. He was always willing to help in any way possible, and our staff enjoyed working with him.

Jacqueline Christianson, NP, flew from Wisconsin to help the MSQ ED during the peak of the pandemic. She was friendly, energetic, and ready to work the night shifts as soon as she arrived. Our staff and patients really enjoyed having her on our team.

Darby Winston, PA, was a great asset to our team during the pandemic. She was versatile and always up for the challenge, whether working in the Emergency Department or on the medical floors. Thank you, Darby!

James Portwood, PA, came from out of state to help us during one of the busiest times. It was great to see him integrate so nicely into our department and provide some much-needed relief for our staff. Thank you, James!

Mount Sinai Morningside

Mark Riser, MD, is a long-time emergency physician with expertise in administration and ED management. He currently works with Emergency Medicine Associates and has long been involved with their corporate leadership structure.

Viral Patel, MD, founder and CEO of Radish Health, heard the call for help and hastily reached out to Mount Sinai Morningside to care for critically ill patients during this pandemic. Dr. Patel is well acquainted with the clinical workflow and staff of Morningside ED since he is a former St. Luke’s Roosevelt (Morningside-West) Emergency Medicine resident. Having been sick himself with likely COVID-19 early in the pandemic, he was readily available for any shift and task. Our patients and staff truly appreciate the care Dr. Patel provided and time he spent with us.

The Mount Sinai Hospital

Lindsay Stokes, MD

Dan Phelan, MD

Submitted by: Matthew Bai, MD, Associate Medical Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai Queens,  Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Vladimir Volokh, DO, a full-time physician at Mount Sinai Doctors-Urgent Care and a lieutenant commander in the US Navy, volunteered on short notice for active-duty training to support the Navy’s COVID-19 response.

On March 21, he was urgently mobilized to the USNS Comfort due to deployment of the president-directed Operation COVID-19. The USNS Comfort team activated in five days to respond to the greatest global pandemic of the 21st century and was sent to NYC to provide high quality medical care. 

Dr. Volokh served as a family physician and Senior Medical Officer during Operation COVID-19, at sick-bay call providing expert humanitarian relief health care. His responsibilities included sick call coverage and providing on-demand outpatient health care to 1,200 active duty and Military Sealift Command aboard the USNS Comfort. On board in New York, Dr. Volokh evaluated and diagnosed the first COVID-19 case in a member of the crew, isolating him and containing the spread of the infection. Throughout his tenure, only three crew members needed hospital admission for COVID 19; 30 crew members had to take quarantine measures. 

Shortly after Dr. Volokh began work on the USNS Comfort, his father was diagnosed with COVID-19 and passed away on April 8. The commanding officers offered Dr. Volokh the possibility of leaving the ship to arrange the funeral. However, at that time, the funeral home would not allow viewing even for family members, and if he decided to take a leave, he would be restricted to quarantine on the ship or in a hotel for two weeks before being allowed to return to work.

“This would affect the care of ship’s crew, since there was a shortage of doctors at that time,” Dr. Volokh says, “I spoke with the Rabbi, who offered to perform the ceremony at the cemetery and hold a memorial when I came back.”

Then on May 1, Dr. Volokh received a call from his mother’s nursing home that she had passed away. “The support from crew members and fellow doctors aboard as well as Mount Sinai team members throughout my deployment was overwhelming,” he says. 

It is a very difficult time for our country and many families have lost their loved ones. “Unfortunately, my parents were not exception, but my Dad, who spent 35 years in the military, fully supported my deployment, despite being left alone,” Dr. Volokh says. “On the day of deployment, it was sad to say goodbye to my Dad, but he told me that would do exactly the same to help my country in fight with the virus.”

When the USNS Comfort arrived back in Norfolk on May 2, Dr. Volokh was quarantined for two weeks. Because he had now lost both parents, the Navy allowed him to go back to New York to arrange the funeral for his mother and stay in quarantine at home. 

Lieutenant Commander Volokh is one of the many military doctors who have been on the front line of COVID-19, balancing the needs of family while courageously fighting the pandemic. He says, “My biggest consolation was that my father would be very proud of my decision to complete my duty as a physician and soldier.”

Submitted by: Daniel Leinweber, Communications and Marketing Associate, Mount Sinai Doctors-Brooklyn Heights, Mount Sinai Doctors-Urgent Cares

Victoria Speziale, Grants Specialist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, her mother, and sister have been sewing masks for the last several weeks. So far they have made more than 700.

Her aunt owns a florist shop on Long Island and, when the store was able to open, they decided to include a mask with every order to brighten up their customers’ days.

People in their community asked if they would sell the masks because they were unable to buy them elsewhere, but Victoria and her family felt they could never charge for them.  Instead, they give them to anyone who asks and plan to continue for as long as they can.

Victoria says it is especially gratifying to hear from people who are overjoyed they can now do simple things like grocery shop because they previously were unable to order a mask or get one. It doesn’t surprise me that Victoria would take this project upon herself.  Anyone that meets Victoria is struck by her caring and consideration for others. She has a big heart!

Submitted by: Allison Gottlieb, Director, Sponsored Programs Education and Communications, Grants and Contracts Office, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Janine Pizzimenti, MSN, RN, was redeployed from the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mount Sinai to Mount Sinai Beth Israel for one month beginning April 10. Her role was nursing liaison for the disaster relief groups Samaritans Purse and AMI and dozens of other Mount Sinai Health System colleagues from satellite offices throughout the city.

MSBI opened four units mid-April to meet the growing demand of COVID patients, treating more than 200 people.  Coordinating this diverse group was a challenge; however each nurse had one job in mind, to provide safe care to all of their patients. Within a short time, they managed to become a cohesive team. With the support of Jeremy Habitzreuther, RN, MSBI, and Anne Marie Middleton, Director of Human Resources, NYEE, who helped coordinate all of the scheduling, it wasn’t long before they hit their stride and began building relationships. “Everyone was focused on patient care; we had the support of all departments. If we needed something, it was quickly delivered,” Janine says.

“Coordinating staffing schedules and communicating with dozens of redeployed nurses was a 24/7 feat,” says Anne Marie. “Janine and I were constantly collaborating to ensure the floors were properly staffed, and employees knew where and when they needed to be at the hospital.”

Together, the team tried to reassure patients and became a support system/extended family for patients. AMI nurses bought clothes for homeless patients before they were discharged. A patient, whose husband was also a patient and at her bedside, wanted help celebrating his birthday; the team, along with staff, sang Happy Birthday to him. And Janine launched an email campaign to friends asking they donate phone chargers for patients to keep in touch with their families. The campaign quickly yielded more than 200 chargers, to the delight of their patients.

Despite the challenges, this team’s grateful patients will long remember the courage, commitment, and team work they displayed.

Submitted by: Nancy Kelleghan, Senior Marketing Manager, NYEE